


Shaman King

by TheAmazingSakumachan



Category: Anime Crossover, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Shaman King (Anime & Manga)
Genre: 6000 Years of Slow Burn (Good Omens), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anime Crossover - Freeform, Anna Is A Victim, Be Careful What You Wish For, Crack Pairings, Cringey Story From Childhood, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Harem, Kagome Crossover, Kagome Has Issues, Kagome is OP, Manga & Anime, Parent Higurashi Kagome, Relationship(s), Reverse Harem, Sango is best girl, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Starcrossed Lovers, Team Feels, Time Loop, Time Travel, Tsundere, Under Renovations, Underdog, WIP, What Have I Done, Yoh is a good boy, deredere, feels trip, kuudere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 71,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26723956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAmazingSakumachan/pseuds/TheAmazingSakumachan
Summary: For Higurashi Kagome, moving to Tokyo was supposed to be a fresh start. But little did she know that she was walking a similar path that was walked before. A fateful encounter. A promise that transcends time and space. A gift that keeps giving. What path leads to a Happy Ending?
Relationships: Asakura Hao/Higurashi Kagome, Asakura Yoh/Higurashi Kagome, Asakura Yoh/Kyouyama Anna, Bankotsu/Higurashi Kagome, Bankotsu/Usui Pirika, Harem/Kagome, Higurashi Kagome/Asakura Hao, Higurashi Kagome/Asakura Yoh, Higurashi Kagome/Bankotsu, Higurashi Kagome/Harem, Higurashi Kagome/Kouga, Higurashi Kagome/Reverse Harem, Higurashi Kagome/Tao Ren, HoroHoro/Sango, InuYasha/Kikyou (InuYasha), Kouga/Higurashi Kagome, Kyouyama Anna/Asakura Yoh, Reverse Harem/Higurashi Kagome, Ryu/Sango, Sango/HoroHoro, Sango/Ryu, Sango/Umemiya Ryuunosuke, Sango/Usui Horokeu, Tao Ren/Higurashi Kagome, Umemiya Ryuunosuke/Sango, Usui Horokeu/Sango, Usui Pirika/Bankotsu
Kudos: 13





	1. The Boy Who Dances with Ghosts And the Girl Who Believed

**Author's Note:**

> So, I posted this on fanfiction.net.  
> I'm in need of a better title that suits this story  
> If anyone who is reading it has a suggestion, please let me know!
> 
> There are more chapters on fanfiction.net at the moment because I'm currently revising the story.  
> So I'm only going to post revised chapters on here. Until I finish revising, updates on here will be slooooow.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oyamada Manta finds friendship after his life is turned upside by the appearance of mysterious transfer students: Asakura Yoh and Higurashi Kagome.

**Prologue**

This is the story of Higurashi Kagome.

Kagome was an ordinary girl, or so she claimed.

She was as normal as a girl born into a long lineage of priests could be, at least.

People had always told her that she would be someone great, someone special, and someone extraordinary...

But she decided that was something—a life, that she did not want for herself.

No. She _never_ wanted that.

She never wanted to hear that.

Ever since she was small, she hated when people told her how special and different she was—how unlike the other children she was.

Perhaps it was because she did not want to believe that she was different.

Perhaps it was because she did not want to be looked at so strangely by the people around her.

Kagome did not believe in the supernatural, demons, spirits, or even the gods who she was supposed to serve.

She liked cute things. She loved shopping. She enjoyed giggling and gossiping with her friends.

And she dreamed of a beautiful marriage to a handsome prince...

At least—that's the person who the girl wants to be, and that's what she wants to believe...

There had always been a small inkling that she felt.

There were times that her six senses picked up on things that others could not perceive.

As she grew older, the inkling became strong vibes that called out to her.

Her friends, her classmates...they thought of her as an oddity.

On her thirteenth birthday, she abandoned her family shrine and fled all of the shadows looming over her shoulder.

From a shrine on the outskirts of Tokyo to a small house in a quiet neighborhood in the inner-city, Kagome moved.

Although she was only thirteen years old, she was now living alone.

Tomorrow would be a fresh start—the beginning of her new life.

The lone girl focused a stare down at her shopping list. Her blue eyes read over the contents before a small smile graced her lips. She nodded to herself before tucking the paper into her pocket.

She would change her life, starting with her first day at Shinra Private Academy.

As her mother had suggested, the girl spent a week exploring the area and acclimating to her new life alone.

Despite the week that she used to get to know the neighborhood, Tokyo was still a big place for a small person.

So oftentimes when she went out for errands or out of boredom, the girl ended up getting lost for hours on end.

It was today, Sunday, that Kagome decided to do something a bit more exciting—something that her family would not approve of.

She was going to go out and do her shopping late in the day.

So by the time that she finished, it would be well after dark.

As a young teen, being out alone at night was one of the most exciting things to do after all!

The shopping went without a hitch.

But it was navigating the foreign territory under the curtain of nightfall that proved to be a challenge.

Blue eyes blinked as she spotted a tall hill in the distance.

 _'Maybe I can spot my house from there...'_ that thought alone urged Kagome forward and into the cemetery.

Unbeknownst to the girl, she would soon be living the life that she tried to escape...

* * *

**The Boy Who Dances with Ghosts**

**And the Girl Who Believed**

The traditional chime of the dismissal school bell was like music to the student body's ears. They were finally relieved of their scholarly studies and free to go home, fool around, and other typical teenage endeavors. Once the tune quieted down, a teacher closed her special teacher's edition textbook and announced to the young faces before her, "That will be all for today, class."Both the sight of her smile and the sound of her reminder to study hard and get home safely fell on blind eyes and deaf ears.

Some students eagerly gathered their belongings and began stuffing them into backpacks that were already bursting at the seams. Others momentarily stopped to stretch their aching limbs before scurrying out of class into the busy hallways. As with most cram schools, night had already fallen after classes had ended. As friends and acquaintances went their separate ways, shouts of "Take care!" and "See you tomorrow!" filled the air.

This particular evening a rather small boy, thirteen years of age, hurried across the street on his way home. It was quite difficult to carry a bag that was almost as big as his body, but Manta still managed to make it to and from school and tutoring every day. Stopping in front of the entrance to an old cemetery, Manta paused as he glanced up at luminous orb in the sky. The moon—it seemed so close and within reach. It was as if he could run up that sloping, towering hill and be close enough to lay his hand on the celestial sphere and caress its rocky surface…

He shook those absurd, dreamy thoughts out of his head.

Something like that was not possible.

He had to focus on reality—.

Looking down at his wristwatch, Manta shrieked in panic, "It's this late already?!"

Anxiety washed over him when he realized that there was no way that he would be able to make the last train home!

He scowled as he looked at the black iron gate of the cemetery next to him. He had no choice.

This was the only shortcut that he could take to make it in time.

Manta entered the quiet land through the gates that eerily creaked open with a reluctant push from his shaky hands.

The cemetery was as grassy as any other one.

Tombstones of all shapes and sizes protruded from the green-covered earth and gray cement stairs led upward to grassy hills where thousands were buried.

There was also a small shrine for any mourners to pray for their dearly departed.

Being the meek and studious type, Manta was not one to casually enter in a place like this...or think such nonsensical thoughts.

_'When I realized I was just standing there… Somehow I felt… That there was someone calling me'._

Was he creating make-believe thoughts about some supernatural influence on his detour home?

He could not help but laugh at himself as he hurried up the hill.

Manta's jog and self-induced laughter were soon interrupted by a content sigh followed by an unfamiliar voice, "The stars are so pretty…" it stated in a tone so calm and content.

It was as if the speaker's life had already been fulfilled despite the youthful pitch it carried.

"Stars…?" Manta questioned, blinking as he slowly turned his gaze to the dark blue heavens.

His brown eyes lit up in wonder.

It was if God sprinkled a handful of glitter on the midnight blue sky.

The sparkles and twinkles of the stellar lights were breath-taking.

This was the moment that the boy had truly noticed the celestial glory for the first time.

Never before had Manta appreciated the stars until that moment.

"You are SO right!" he agreed absentmindedly before a thought clicked in his head...

A chill ran up his spine.

"Who are you anyway?" The small boy asked as he literally shook in his shoes. He looked across the way and saw the source of the stranger's voice.

Someone was sprawled out on the grass beneath a lone tree atop of the hill. "Did you come to watch the stars too?" A brown-haired boy asked as he slowly stood up. "Come on over," he continued, walking in Manta's direction. Although he appeared friendly enough, anyone who sat alone in a creepy place like this could not be normal, or at least sane for that matter. "We can watch them with everyone." The stranger lifted his head, allowing the light of the moon to illuminate his tanned, smiling face.

"N-Nah…" Manta declined nervously, inching away slowly. "It's getting pretty late."

He certainly did not want to offend the stranger, and it was a legitimate excuse.

He then scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepily while pointing out, "Besides, you can't say _everyone_ since it's only the two of us here."

"Oh no. I _can_ say everyone," the brown-haired boy insisted, unintentionally sounding eerie.

"Huh?" Was the only word that could escape Manta's mouth. He looked left and right. There was no one else in sight.

"The spirits—" the smiling boy began while aiming a thumb over his shoulder, "—are here too~."

On cue, the boy's incorporeal companions made their presences known to Manta.

Their wide, friendly grins not only disturbed Manta, but also a certain, lost girl who happened to wander onto the scene.

Both stood there for a moment, frozen, their feet took root into the ground.

"Gh…gh…" the black-haired lass stuttered. "Gh…gh…" her blue-gray eyed were wide with shock.

""GHHHHOOOSSSSTTSSSS!" Manta shrieked, "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" as the two high-tailed it away from the unnamed boy and his spirit friends.

The startled teens screamed as they ran their separate ways, leaving the brunette boy alone to his own devices.

Little did the three knew, they would be seeing each other again very soon...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

That night was filled with restless sleep for Kagome.

The shock from earlier that night followed her into her dreams.

_["The spirits...are here too."]_

Images of the scene played in her mind as she tossed and turned in her bed.

Kagome panted and gasped for air, clutching at her chest. _'No way... Not now... Not ever... I don't believe...'_

The weight of her haunting reality had followed her to Tokyo and into unconsciousness.

The girl shook her head and bit down on her lower lip.

_["The spirits...are here too."]_

Kagome stopped running and fell to her knees. She squeezed her eyes shut as she slapped her hands over her ears.

It did not matter how fast or how far she ran.

She could not escape that voice.

_["The spirits... are here too."]_

All she could do was deny what had happened, again.

If she did not acknowledge it, it did not exist to her, right?

_'I didn't see them. I never have and never will.'_

_["The spirits... are here too."]_

_'I didn't feel them. I don't feel anything... I never did.'_ Kagome would not believe it.

She refused to...

She was a normal girl...

Higurashi Kagome.

Higurashi Kagome was a normal girl...

_Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!Beep!_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"GHOSTS?!" came the collective cry of Manta's middle schoolmates.

"Yeah! I saw them on my way home from cram school!" Manta confirmed. "There was this weird boy at Crow Cemetery. Then suddenly, all these ghosts appeared! The place was loaded with them!" He explained before shivering as his mind replayed the scene," It was so scary…"

"Manta… I think you're going a little dead in the head," one student told him nonchalantly.

"What?!" Manta shouted defensively, "You think I'm crazy?! I saw the ghosts with my very own eyes!"

"Oh, come on, Manta," another classmate cut in with an exasperated sigh. "Stop making up stories."

Manta faltered, hurt that they did not believe him. "I-I'm not making it up!" He insisted with a deep scowl.

"You're seriously not trying to scare us?" A boy asked with raising a suspicious eyebrow.

A bubbly girl who had eavesdropped on the conversation speculated, "Maybe he's been reading too many horror stories." She then giggled him and smiled down at him, "But do continue Manta, I like scary stories!"

"I'm not lying!" Manta shouted with all of his might, finally fed up with them not believing him.

The group of classmates stared at the usually reserved boy with surprised expressions. It was unlike him to have outbursts like this one.

After a moment of silence, they all exchanged looks with each other.

"Yup, he's gone nuts," the girl stated nonchalantly.

An angry vein ticked on Manta's forehead as he shouted again, "I'M NOT CRAZY OR LYING! THERE WERE REALLY GHOSTS!"

"You're probably just studying too hard. You need some rest."

"Or maybe…" A playful boy whispered eerily. "He's being _haunted_ ," he added with a grin.

Manta's other classmates shared a laugh with the jokester.

The frustrated boy tightened his tiny hands into balls.

His fists began to shake in silent anger.

Not only was he angry, but Manta also felt flabbergasted and humiliated.

He was not the type to play pranks. So why did no one believe him?!

"But it's the truth!" He insisted once again.

"I want to believe you, Manta," the girl explained. "But there's just no proof that your story is true at all."

"…Proof…?" Manta asked in a low tone as he bowed his head.

The word flashed him back to that night…

Up to the moment when the ghosts appeared.

There had been a girl there too… "That's right!" he exclaimed, remembering the girl who had screamed her head.

"Eh? What is it?"

"I have a witness! Other than the weird kid, there was a girl too!" Manta told them excitedly.

His almost defeated spirit had been renewed at the thought.

"A girl, really? What did she do? Did she see the ghosts too?"

"Yeah, she did! I can tell because she got scared and ran away too!" The blond teen explained.

"But still… We don't know this girl… So for all we know, you could be making that part up too."

"None of my story is made up!"

Finally, their teacher entered the room and glared at his students that were behaving so casually in school.

"Everyone, get in your seats. Homeroom is starting."

Manta cursed silently, feeling agitated that his classmates did not believe him.

Still, he was a model student so he resigned himself to his seat...

Manta's eye twitched when he saw the boy from the previous night casually saunter into the room behind the teacher.

The shocked boy could not help his reaction.

He screamed while jumping out of his seat and pointing an accusing finger at the other boy.

Manta's sudden outburst startled the students sitting around him, but did not seem to faze the source of his shock and ire.

The instructor quirked an eyebrow while questioning, "Do you two know each other?"

"Uh…" Manta replied lamely as his cheeks lit up.

He did not know the boy's name or anything about him. There was no way to answer the question without embarrassing himself.

"Um, no…" Manta stated in a lower voice.

His head lowered in shame as a few classmates chuckled at his expense.

His entire face was feeling unusually hot.

At this point, he could not tell if he was blushing from embarrassment or flushing from anger...

"Then hurry up and sit down."

"Okay…" Manta whispered obediently before complying with the command.

The teacher slowly introduced the new student as Asakura Yoh.

Yoh stared almost apathetically at the class as the teacher explained a few things about him.

All the while, Manta glared at Yoh and thought about everything that had happened.

From their encounter last night, to how his classmates did not believe him, a lot of things were on his mind. But on the bright side, now he had proof!

Suddenly in the middle of the short introduction, the door slid open and in stepped a girl...

"And it's you TOO!" Manta yelled, jumping up in his seat once again.

The girl blinked before sending him a puzzled expression. It was if she did not recognize him at all.

"Another interruption, Oyamada?" the teacher asked in an annoyed tone.

"Eh?! Err—!" He paused as he was snapped back to his normal self "...I'm very sorry, Sensei," Manta mumbled before sinking into his head.

The girl then bowed deeply before straightening up.

"Please pardon me, Sensei, " she stated in a polite tone. "I got lost on my way to school..." She then smiled sheepishly while scratching a slightly pink cheek, " Then I got lost again on my way to class."

The teacher uncharacteristically smiled at the girl, instantly taken in by her charming demeanor.

He waved his hand dismissively before announcing to the class, "This young lady is also a new student here. She recently moved from the suburbs. Please welcome: Higurashi Kagome."

Kagome smiled brightly at her new classmates and waved. "Let's get along, okay?" she asked of the class.

She looked at her cohorts with a warm smile, which was a stark contrast to Yoh's stoic and apathetic expression.

One transfer student was an amicable girl who seemed ready and willing to make new friends.

While the other was a standoffish boy who did not bother to greet the class at all.

Manta could not believe his luck—or was this some sort of crazy coincidence?

Did situations like this one really happen in real life?

"T-That's the girl too…" He whispered shakily to a classmate sitting directly to his right.

"Is she really? She doesn't seem afraid of the boy like you were," was the skeptical response that he received.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

It was their lunch period.

Manta had waited for this moment for hours.

He could finally have the boy tell the others that he was not crazy, sleep-deprived, or a liar.

The ghosts were real!

And he could have the girl tell them too!

The others would have no choice but to believe him with the two new students corroborating his story!

Manta glanced at Kagome, who was napping at the back of the classroom with her head resting on her folded arms.

"I better not bother her," he stated to himself.

He would just have to settle on Yoh for now.

With a newfound determination and anticipation, he walked across the classroom to the second row to the front so that he stood on the right side of Yoh's desk.

The brunette wore a small, content smile as he listened to the music blasting from his orange headphones.

With his closed eyes and peaceful smile, the boy appeared to be in his own world.

"Hey," Manta greeted.

Yoh did not respond.

He was too preoccupied with his music.

"Hey!" The blond raised his voice a bit.

But it was for naught.

It had been a long, frustrating day so he could not help the growl that rumbled in his throat.

"HEY!" Manta's voice finally reached past the headphones and Yoh opened his eyes.

"Huh?" Yoh blinked and looked down at Manta curiously.

On cue, Manta's associates surrounded the two of them.

They wanted to find out the truth for themselves so they could just drop the topic.

"We met each other last night at the cemetery, didn't we?" Manta asked of him.

Yoh only stared quietly...

"You were hanging out with those ghosts, weren't you?" The agitated boy pressed on.

He knew the truth, but he needed answers to clear his name!

Yoh stared at Manta silently for a few moments before asking, " …who are you…?"

"W-WHAT THE—?!" Manta sputtered in shock and outrage. How could this person do this to him?!

"I knew you were sleep-deprived, Manta," the normally giggly girl stated in a deadpanned tone.

"So _that's_ why you're haunted," another friend teased again.

Cue more laughter and teasing at Manta's expense...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

_'I'll prove that my story is true, for sure,'_ Manta thought spiritedly while side glaring at Yoh who was staring off into space. _'Even if I have to—Ah…?'_ His train of thought was cut off when a small folded slip of paper was discreetly passed onto his desk. Manta looked around the room and saw no one staring at him or looking his way to signify that they wrote the note.

He unfolded it until it was completely open.

It read:

_"I believe your story about the ghosts and Asakura from last night_

_"Meet me after school and we can talk about it (if you want)_

_See ya later_

_-Higurashi"_

Manta was tempted to show the note to the classmates that did not believe him.

But he refrained from acting impulsively this time.

Nothing good would come of it.

Higurashi Kagome would most likely hate him for it, and they would both end up embarrassed.

He would meet her after school... And maybe they would both expose Asakura!

 _'Yes...!'_ Manta grinned at the thought. Things were finally looking up for him!

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"I see," Kagome stated, tapping her chin with the tip of her finger. "So no one believed you?"

Manta nodded in response.

"But I guess that is kind of normal. Most people don't believe in ghosts, you know." She could not blame them either.

She accidentally slept in because of the haunting dream that she had last night...

Manta nodded again and replied as his hands began tight fists, " I know! So that's why we have to work together to prove my story is true!"

In his excitement, he did notice how Kagome looked genuinely surprised at his conviction. "So, you're going to help me out, aren't you?" He looked up at his new classmate with hopeful and determined eyes.

 _'He...wants to pursue a matter like this...?'_ The girl looked at her new classmate's face.

His eyes were burning with passion.

This was something that he truly cared about...

Kagome then nodded and smiled sweetly," Sure!"

Moments later, her smile transformed into an unsure frown that was almost a pout.

"What's wrong?" asked the short boy.

"Nothing, but…" Kagome slowly peered around a telephone pole and peeked at Yoh, who was standing on a bridge watching the serenity of the river. "Don't you think this is a little extreme?" She asked.

Manta peeked around the pole to glance at Yoh too.

Kagome sweatdropped as she looked down at Manta.

This was getting weird...but she could handle for weird as long as she made new friends.

"Why are we spying on Asakura anyway?" She questioned in a tone that was half curious, half incredulous.

"Because we want proof!"

"I understand that part, but isn't this considered… _Stalking_?" Kagome asked skeptically.

"…Eh heh," Manta sweatdropped as well while letting out an embarrassed chuckle.

He did not expect to be called out so bluntly.

"Let's just call it a private investigation," He proposed.

"If you say so…" Kagome sighed softly as the duo continued to watch Yoh watch the river...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Three hours later, Yoh was still minding his own business, watching the river with not a care in the world.

The brunette seemed lost in thought as he leaned against the guard rail with his propped up elbow supporting his cheek.

From his hiding place behind the telephone pole, Manta gritted his teeth together in frustration.

"How long does he plan to just stand there like that?!" He was red-faced and seething.

Kagome sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

After the first uneventful half hour, she had already given up on watching Yoh and decided to leave that part to Manta.

The girl settled for sitting on the pavement next to him, not caring about dirtying her green, pleated skirt.

"I don't know but I'm getting bored with this…" She admitted, almost huffing with her confession. "Maybe he—."

"Ah?" both witnesses blinked as Yoh suddenly stretched and yawned aloud.

"Is he finally doing something?!" they asked in unison, both now standing and watching the strange boy.

The brunette sighed in contentment as he offered the river a satisfied smile, "Ahhhh~! It's good to be so in touch with nature!"

Manta angrily jumped out from his hiding place and pointed a shaky finger at Yoh. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Huh?" Yoh turned around, only to see nothing.

Kagome had pulled her comrade back into hiding at the very last second.

She held the small boy between her legs as she waited for Yoh to look away again.

The now calmer Manta pulled Kagome's hand from over his mouth and sighed in relief that Kagome bailed him out.

He then got up and looked back at Yoh to find that—.

"He's gone! We lost him!" The blond cried out.

"Really?" Kagome inquired as she moved from the hiding space and looked around.

There truly was no trace of the boy anywhere.

"How did Asakura just disappear like that…?" She wondered aloud.

This situation was becoming more and more strange.

"What the hell?!" Manta screamed while tugging at his hair.

He was at his wit's end! How could this happen?!

Kagome's eyes suddenly hardened in determination as she balled up her hands.

"Oyamada-kun! We can't give up just yet! We can do it if we put to our minds to it, right?" she asked, offering Manta an encouraging smile.

The small boy stared up at the girl's face for a moment before nodding in agreement and making a fist of his own. "Yeah!" Was his simple but energetic response.

She was right.

They just had to be more diligent!

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Manta smirked as he held a flashlight below his face and turned it on with a click.

Kagome laughed and joked, "Your face is scary like that!"

The duo shared a short, light-hearted laugh before putting on their serious faces.

"We'll stick around here for a while until we meet up with him," Manta stated.

The young sleuths were hiding behind the miniature shrine in the Crow Cemetery.

The boy then pulled out a camera and explained his plan to Kagome, "and with this instant camera, I can snap a picture of him when he's with the ghosts!"

 _'I wonder…'_ Kagome silently thought as Manta chuckled at his master plan. _'Will a ghost even show up on camera? And more importantly, this little guy is stranger than I thought.'_

She sweatdropped when her partner began rubbing his hands together like a criminal mastermind.

Suddenly their chatter and chuckles were interrupted by a group of voices approaching them.

"What did you say?" a deep, masculine voice angrily hissed out.

The owner of the voice did not sound too happy about some news.

Manta and Kagome stiffened as they peered around the shrine and spotted a tall, older teen with a particularly long pompadour and a white suit.

 _'Uh, an Elvis impersonator?'_ Kagome thought while sweatdropping at the prospect that another weirdo entered the scene.

The young man was surrounded by a crowd of lackeys and was angrily discussing rumors of a boy who hung around in "their territory".

"Crap," Manta whispered. He looked up at Kagome with fearful eyes and informed her," That's Ryu of the Wooden Sword. He and his gang are notorious for beating up anyone who comes onto anything that they consider their territory."

"And it sounds like they're talking about Asakura," Kagome added with a concerned.

She knew nothing about the guy, but no one deserved to be hurt over something so petty and trivial. She looked down at Manta but he was too scared and engrossed in the conversation to care.

Ryu huffed and kicked over a tombstone to show his dismay and display his strength. He looked annoyed when gang members did not admire his power, but gasped in fear, staring at the damages with wide eyes and dropped jaws. "T-That was the tombstone of Amidamaru, t-t-t-the demon samurai from six-hundred years ago!" Despite the warnings from his comrades, Ryu was not bothered in the slightest. He was too busy caught up in his machismo.

With a single downward swing on his wooden sword, Ryu sliced through the stone and left it in pieces.

Both spies watched and listened to Ryu and his gang's conversation about the curse of Amidamaru.

Kagome frowned when Ryu broke the tombstone in half with his wooden sword. "If he can do that to stone with only a wooden sword, think of what he can do to us if we get caught," Kagome said in a grave tone.

Manta shivered at the prospect and looked at Kagome. "L-let's just go home for tonight."

He slowly backed away and froze when his foot knocked over a tin can.

The sound of it falling and rolling to the ground was as loud as a shampoo bottle in the shower.

The dastardly can definitely wanted them to get caught spying on Ryu and his gang.

"Eh?" Ryu's eyes narrowed as he circled around the mini shrine and spotted the younger teens, "Who the hell are you two?"

Manta smiled nervously and innocently, "We're nobody. We were just passing through." He raised up his hands to show he was unarmed and harmless.

Kagome nodded as she followed Manta's example and put her hands up, "Yeah! We're just innocent passersby!"

"Um, uh… Honestly!" Manta added with a nervous smile.

"Little man, you're the kid, aren't you?!" Ryu asked while looking at Manta, "The kid that trespasses in this area?"

"Of course not! What are you talking about?" asked Manta, still frozen. His legs glued to the ground.

Ryu and his gang shared deviously grins with each other before taking deliberately slow steps forward.

"Leave him alone, you creeps!" Kagome then stepped between the gang and her new classmate. She knew where this was going and she would not tolerate it! The girl glared them down while spreading her arms out wide protectively. "If you want to hurt my friend, then you'll have to get through me!"

Manta's eyes widened at her choice of words.

"And what's this?" Ryu squinted, "A _girl_?"

A cloud that covered the moon drifted away in that instant, allowing the light to shine down on the scene.

Ryu felt his heart his accelerate when he finally could make out the girl's features: a sweet face with big blue-gray eyes, long dark hair, and a rather generous body for someone her age!

"Eh—" Kagome's eye twitched. "What's with this guy?" She deadpanned while looking to the rest of his gang for questions as their leader's eyes became pulsing, pink hearts.

They merely looked shocked or embarrassed as Ryu dropped his sword and dashed over to Kagome.

He collected the girl's hands into his own while staring down at her, completely lovestruck, "Miss, you're absolutely gorgeous! You should run away with me, and together, we can find our best place!"

Kagome sweatdropped and forced a twitching smile at the proposal, "I have no clue what you're talking about."

She then looked over her shoulder at Manta and tried to communicate a message of _'Run away while he's distracted!'_ with her eyes.

The blond blinked but quickly caught on.

He nodded and began inching away slowly and quietly...

Only for one of Ryu's gang to point out, "The little man, he's trying to escape!"

Ryu snapped back into reality and narrowed his eyes, "I see... So you used your feminine wiles in order for your friend to escape."

Kagome then yanked her hands away from the older teen and shouted back indignantly, "I did nothing like that!"

A moment later, she found herself restrained by two of the gang members as Ryu and the others crowded around Manta. "Oh crap..."

Later that night, the boy who Kagome and Manta had been searching for arrived at the cemetery.

He looked down at the crumbled pieces of Amidamaru's tombstone and scowled deeply.

Only someone distasteful was capable of desecrating someone's eternal resting place.

Something had to be done...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The following day, collective gasps filled the classroom as Manta and Kagome entered together.

Manta had a black eye, a cast on his left arm, and his head had been bandaged up.

And Kagome entered the room with an ordinary bandaid on her cheek.

"What happened to you?!" someone asked surprised.

"I got beaten up by Ryu of the Wooden Sword," Manta replied glumly, with his head lowered in shame and defeat.

"Ryu of the Wooden Sword?!" Came another student's shocked reaction. "How did you end up fighting with gangsters?"

"Higurashi-chan and I were trying to snap pictures of the ghosts," he admitted honestly but pitifully. All he wanted to do was validate his claims and earn back everyone's trust and respect...

"You're still talking about that ghost thing?!"

"And why are you getting Higurashi mixed up in all of this? Why she is not… banged up like you?"

"Last night they beat up Oyamada-kun. Then at the end, Ryu gave me a warning by scratching my cheek…" Kagome stood beside Manta as she explained.

She looked down at Manta's broken expression and felt guilt.

All of the passion and excitement that he showed her yesterday had been beaten out of him.

The poor guy did not deserve any of this...

"And besides..." As much as she wanted to start her life anew as a normal girl, there was no way that she could turn her back on this person.

He looked so deflated and he was being humiliated.

"I was there when Asakura-kun was with the ghosts that night..." She confessed.

Yes. Here she was, admitting something like that.

"I saw them too."

The other classmates looked at each other before one of them asked, " Higurashi-chan, how much did Manta pay you…?"

Kagome blinked, " …pay me…?"

"Yeah, to lie about being the so-called girl from the ghost night. Is he blackmailing you?"

"WHAT?!" Manta bellowed while glaring at his classmates. Hearing those accusations rekindled the anger that he felt since yesterday. "Why would I do something so horrible to Higurashi?!"

"It's nothing like that!" Kagome shot back at them. "Oyamada-kun and I aren't lying, seriously! We both saw them! There's no reason to lie about that!"

"Then what were _you_ doing at Crow Cemetery that night…?" Kagome stiffened.

"Aha! I knew you were lying!"

"That's not it…" Kagome muttered. "We're not lying… It's just that…" she bowed her head in shame. "I got lost on my way home from the grocery store! I had been wandering around town for hours!"

"I see… That _is_ pretty embarrassing."

"Oh, whatever! It's because you're so determined to be weird that you got beat up by Ryu of the Wooden Sword!"

Kagome looked down at Manta with nothing but sympathy.

No one believed him, even when she vouched for his claims.

What else could she do...?

"NOTHING WE SAID WERE LIES!" The bruised and battered boy bellowed.

The class froze and stared at their classmate who had a surprising amount of wind in him.

Then came the fateful statement from Asakura Yoh himself, "yeah, it's not a lie."

The brunette said it so straightforwardly and casually.

Tears flew from Manta's eyes as he looked up at Yoh, who had just entered the classroom.

The blond's eyes were full of anger, relief, and surprise.

Yoh looked back down at Manta then at Kagome and smiled. "There are spirits," he confirmed.

The classroom filled with silence...

And no one spoke to Manta, Yoh, or Kagome for the rest of the day...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The three middle school students, who were now permanently labeled weirdoes were now taking off their school shoes at their lockers and putting on their regular shoes.

Kagome watched as Manta silently slipped on his walking shoes.

"I heard about what happened from my friends at the cemetery," Yoh told them solemnly.

"What are you talking about?" Manta snipped in response. "I'm a normal person busy with studies. I can't waste my time the way you do."

He could not help but feel spiteful and stung about the entire ordeal.

He had gone out of his way to prove that he was not a liar.

He ended up getting beat up.

And now that Yoh told everyone the truth, both he and Kagome were labeled as weird and ignored.

He ended dragging a girl who probably would have been popular down with him...

"Oyamada-kun…" Kagome whispered, her eyes softening. She wanted to comfort him.

He was the closest thing that she had to a friend after all of this time...

But what could she say?

She failed him, and herself.

She tried being a good person by helping Manta out, but she ended up being an outcast again.

And it was all because she not as normal as everyone else...

Not as normal as she wanted—No, pretended to be.

"You're Oyamada Manta…" Yoh asked curiously. Then he turned to Kagome and asked, "And Higurashi Kagome, right?"

Kagome blinked and watched silently as Yoh grabbed Manta's wrist and began leading him away, out the front doors. "Well, come on. Let's go," Yoh said without waiting for an answer.

"Wai—Wait a second," Manta yelled. "Where are we going?!" He questioned as this stranger dragged him away from school.

"We're going to see Ryu," Yoh answered simply.

"Ehhhh?!" Manta's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

Yoh looked down at Manta as he continued to dragging the shorter teen, "My grandfather once said evil cannot see spirits. So you must be a good person. I can't stand by and let a good person like you get bullied like that."

Without uttering a word, Kagome looked to the ground.

Suddenly she felt forgotten.

She was alone already...

And this was only her second day of school, and the beginning of her second week in Tokyo.

The girl silently watched them walk away.

She was uninvited.

She was unwanted.

Unneeded.

Unwelcome.

_Again._

"What are you saying?!" Manta asked, yanking his arm away. "Ryu is a total bad guy with many scary goons and you're just a scrawny kid! What can someone like you do?!" He protested.

Yoh agreed with a mutter of, "No doubt, I am pretty weak."

Manta bristled at the statement,"Then why are you—?!"

Yoh grinned over his shoulder, "it's alright. I'm sure things will work out somehow…"

Yoh grabbed Manta's wrist again and stated, "So let's go."

Before proceeding on his trek to see Ryu, Yoh looked back at Kagome who stood idly watching the entire scene as if she was not even there.

That was odd.

Her eyes seemed duller, emptier as she stared at them with a hollow expression.

That look on her face... He recognized that look.

Suddenly, Kagome's eyes widened when she realized that the boy was looking at her.

Finally, their eyes met.

Yoh's warm chocolate pools found the depths of her blue oceans.

"Are you coming, Higurashi?" Yoh inquired curiously.

His question was accompanied by a friendly smile.

That _acknowledgment_...

Kagome was surprised to find that the heavy grip on her heart had been released.

She could breathe.

She didn't even realize that she had been holding her breath.

The girl returned Yoh's smile with a watery one before she nodded enthusiastically.

She did not ponder about how her sorrow suddenly disappeared when she saw Yoh's smile and the warmth within it.

There was no time for that.

She just had to enjoy this brief happiness while it lasted.

"You bet!" she chirped.

"Good, now we'll go see Ryu together," Yoh replied as he allowed Kagome to catch up with them.

Kagome smiled fondly at Yoh and Manta as Yoh apologized to Manta about pretending to not know him. It was truly a heart-warming moment. Despite walking behind the two boys, Kagome could sense that Manta was finally smiling too...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The night seemed peaceful enough.

The moon was almost staring Manta in the face as he and his new classmates waited for Ryu and his gang to arrive. T

he tiny schoolboy stared at Kagome and Yoh's backs.

The black-haired girl was nearly cuddling with Yoh in order to hear the music from his headphones.

"Um…" Manta began nervously. Yoh did not seem to hear him and Manta guessed Kagome was too sleepy to care at the moment.

" _Hell_ - **lo**!" Manta called over to them.

Yoh looked at Manta from over his shoulder, bumping the back of his head against the side of Kagome's face. "Watch it!" she exclaimed, pouting slightly.

The brunette lifted one side of his headphones and asked curiously, "Did you say something?"

"Well…" Manta began with a twitching smile. "Why am I the only one tied to a tree?"

"If I untie you, you'll run away," Yoh replied.

Manta looked at Kagome and asked, "And what about her, huh?"

Kagome answered the question this time, "Well, I came here willingly so there would be no need to tie me to a tree, Oyamada-kun."

Manta sobbed, "But why do _I_ have to be here? Isn't Higurashi-chan being here good enough?"

Yoh laughed then promised, "When all of this is over, I'll untie you. But for now, I just want you to watch."

"Watch what, Asakura-kun?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Watch you get beaten to a pulp by Ryu of the Wooden Sword?!" Manta asked with doubtful, teary eyes.

Yoh smiled again, just a bit awkwardly this time.

His desire—He did not know how to explain it that well.

"That is, I mean…" He scratched his cheek as he tried to find the words," I want you to watch… _me_."

Just then, a familiar deep voice hit Kagome and Manta's ears.

"It's…" Kagome stated as they all looked up. "Ryu."

Manta's courage and calmness level plummeted from 10 all the way down to negative 100 as they watched Ryu and his gang approach.

"Huh?" Ryu asked as he looked up at the three younger teenagers. "Who goes there…?"

Kagome watched as Yoh slowly stood up and brushing imaginary dirt off his pants.

 _'I hope you know what you're doing Asakura-kun…'_ she nervously thought.

Yoh grinned as he introduced the three of them to Ryu. "Yo. My name is Asakura Yoh," he pointed at Manta then at Kagome, "and these two are my friends, Oyamada Manta and Higurashi Kagome."

Kagome sweatdropped at Yoh's casual politeness in this situation.

"H-How do you do…?" Manta asked half-heartedly. He was more scared than anything.

Kagome only waved a little and added, "Yeeeeeah...hi."

One of Ryu's minions whispered something to Ryu and he replied something in a low tone.

"It seems to me that my friends paid you some debt, now I'm here to return the favor," Yoh announced confidently.

"Favor?" Ryu inquired before chuckling and placing a hand on his hip. "Are you saying you are going to avenge them? You've got a lot of guts. You must want to see the other world so soon."

"Even the people of the other world say that you're a nuisance," Yoh replied with an agitation that seemed unbecoming of him.

Kagome stood up then took a place beside Yoh and asked softly, " What are you planning to do?"

"Apologize! Kneel down and just apologize!" Manta pleaded from his place on the tree.

"Ryu-san! We'll take care of them!" One of his minions said.

Another cracked his knuckles and added, "There is no need for Ryu-san to get his hands dirty playing around with kids like these."

Ryu nodded and instructed, "As you wish. But leave my angel out of it." He then shot the girl a dreamy look, "So your name is Kagome-chan, is it?"

Kagome's jaw dropped at his inquiry, "How dare you address me so casually!?" She pointed at him and glared, "Don't treat me differently just because I'm a girl!"

"But I'm treating you differently because you're cute, not because you are a girl," Ryu admitted with a shameless shrug and easygoing smile.

Yoh gently used one arm and push Kagome back behind him. "I would appreciate it if you left Higurashi alone," Yoh told Ryu. "She's not interested in whatever you're thinking."

"A-Asakura-kun…?" Kagome whispered, blushing a bit.

Sure, she was brave enough in her own right.

But there was something about someone else wanting to protect you...

Ryu's growled at Yoh's fearlessness and interference, "I'll do whatever I want, you little—!"

"It's fine, Ryu-san, like we said." a minion stated.

"We'll take care of them, of course, we won't harm the girl."

"See?!" Manta asked looking at Yoh while kicking his legs. "Now they're interested in Higurashi and want to kill us!"

"I already told you, it'll be alright," said Yoh reassuringly.

Kagome placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

Manta's jaw dropped, he could not believe that Kagome had so much faith in Yoh already.

This was their first time meeting, right?

The blond boy tried to snap some sense into the girl, "He can't do anything on his own!"

"I am not alone!" Yoh yelled.

Kagome gasped and took a step back when a large spirit appeared behind Yoh and beside her.

"I shall grant thee an opportunity to redeem your mistakes, so you should be thankful!" This spirit was unlike the carefree ones from the night of their encounter.

This one was a silver-haired man dressed like a samurai.

There was no doubt about it...

 _'Mistakes…?'_ Kagome thought.

Manta was thinking the same thing, _'Could… Could it be…?'_

"Kick his ass!" Ryu commanded his sidekicks.

"Manta…" Yoh whispered solemnly. "Watch me closely."

Kagome gasped when she realized what was going on.

"Shall we do it then? All right! …Amidamaru!" Yoh called, raising his arm. Kagome and Manta watched awestruck as Amidamaru went into Ghost-ball mode.

But the minions who charged at them did not seem to notice the spirit. "I am a shaman," Yoh stated calmly. "The one who links this world and the next…"

_'Asakura-kun is a…'_

"Sha… Shaman?!" Manta asked stunned.

"Let's go!" Yoh called out before pushing the Ghost-ball into his chest. "Over-Soul Merge!"

"The spirit went into his body?!" Manta's eyes were bulging from what he was seeing.

Seeing ghosts was one thing, but watching a human put one inside of himself was another!

Meanwhile, The edge of Kagome's mouth slowly began to twitch then curve upward.

The two men, who did not notice Amidamaru merge into Yoh, foolishly charged at him.

Manta gasped when Yoh drew his wooden sword and easily defeated the two with a single swing.

"T-That was awesome, Asakura-kun!" Kagome cheered from behind Yoh.

A wide smile was plastered on her face as she watched Yoh and Amidamaru with excitement.

Adrenaline rush through her veins as the shaman made quick work of more goons.

"What the hell just happened?!" asked one of the shocked gangsters.

"It was too fast to see anything!" one of his comrades replied.

Yoh pointed the wooden sword at Ryu and told him, "You're next."

Kagome gasped, though the smile did not disappear.

She could see him.

She could see Amidamaru's spirit inside of Yoh… "

Are you prepared for it?" Amidamaru asked from within his host.

 _'Who is this bastard…? He's completely different from a moment ago,'_ Ryu thought as he began sweating nervously. _'What the hell just happened?'_

Kagome balled up her fists and yelled passionately, "Waste that gangster Asakura-kun!" _'And you too… Amidamaru-sama…!'_ she added mentally.

"What's wrong?" asked the smirking brown-haired boy. "Are you afraid to fight me… Rookie?" He taunted.

Manta could tell that hit one of Ryu's nerves, but for once he was not screaming for Yoh to apologize.

He was amazed and awestruck…

All of this was too cool to be real.

But it _was_ real.

"This kid…" Ryu stated as he gripped his sword and charged full speed at Yoh, "Is a real bastard! Don't underestimate me!"

Kagome gasped and moved from behind Yoh to a safer place beside the tree with Manta attached to its trunk.

Just as Ryu was about to strike, Yoh grinned and disappeared.

He reappeared behind Ryu, ready to strike with his wooden sword in his hands.

"Ryu-san! Watch out!"

Everything happened in slow motion…

Yoh and Amidamaru swung.

"Hmph, I won't kill you. I don't want someone like you to become one of us," Yoh mumbled, though Kagome and Manta knew it was really Amidamaru speaking through Yoh's body.

"Way to go!" Kagome cheered when she saw Ryu fall flat on his back. A second later, half of his pompadour fell flat on the ground.

"Ahhhhh! Ryu-san has been defeated! Run!" Came the scream of one of Ryu's lackeys.

The remaining members scooped up Ryu and their other fallen comrades before making a hasty retreat.

Manta quietly replayed what happened in his head. _'Shaman… To unite with a spirit… the spirit's movement, skills, everything… Reappears using his body…'_

A single bead of sweat ran down Yoh's face.

"Amazing!" Manta finally cheered. He would have pumped his fist if he were not still restrained.

 _'I guess… It's over now…'_ thought Kagome as she breathed a sigh of relief.

The adrenaline was finally leaving her body as her shoulders slumped a bit. This was a lot more excitement than she had expected.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Yoh stuck Amidamaru's wooden sword into the soil.

He and Kagome closed their eyes and recited a small prayer.

"Alright! It's perfect!" Yoh announced while admiring his handiwork with a satisfied grin.

"What do you mean?" asked Manta as he looked at the tombstone that had been glued back together. "It has cracks all over the place."

"Well, don't mind such petty things," the brown-haired boy said with an easy-going smile.

"That's right," Kagome stated after finishing her prayer. She ran her hand over the stone and smiled, before winking at Manta. "Besides, the cracks give it character."

"That's the ticket!" Yoh chimed in as he placed a hand on her shoulder and grinned even wider.

All three laughed at what seemed to be nothing at all.

"You two don't seem afraid," Yoh suddenly pointed out. His face was calmer and warmer than what it was in the classroom.

Kagome blinked, "Afraid? Of what Asakura-kun?"

"Well, you saw me unite with the ghost," Yoh stated simply, unwilling to expand on what he was thinking...not yet.

"Well, the first time we saw you was with the spirits after all," Manta explained.

"Hm, oh yeah?" Yoh mused.

"Yeah!" nodded Manta.

Kagome smiled and suddenly slapped Yoh on the back, laughing merrily, "You did a good job with Amidamaru-sama, Asakura-kun!"

She blinked when Yoh's shoulders trembled. "Eh—What's the matter?"

Yoh grinned at her over his shoulder and said, "That kinda hurt."

"Oh, you…" Yoh sat down on the grassy apex of the hill.

Manta and Kagome exchanged looks before following his lead.

The shaman looked up at the night sky and marveled in its beauty, "Ah! Today's stars are really pretty too!"

"You're right again," Manta agreed, looking up too.

Kagome smiled softly and admitted, closing her eyes, "I'm happy." Manta and Yoh blinked.

That statement seemed out of the blue.

"Because Yoh-kun beat Ryu of the Wooden Sword?" Manta asked curiously.

The girl shook her head while laughing lightly, "I moved here from the outskirts of Tokyo, you know. When I first arrived, I have to admit, I was pretty lonely... But I had to go on because I made the decision to come here in the first place." Kagome did not know why she was telling this to these two boys—these two people who she had just met yesterday. All that she knew was that it felt good to talk about it, and talking about it came easy with them. "I came here to start a new life, and I thought you two screwed it up already," Kagome looked down from the sky and smiled at Manta and Yoh. "But now, I'm glad I met you."

Yoh placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and grinned, "Then you're real lucky, Kagome-chan."

"Ka…gome-chan…?" Kagome asked slowly. "What happened to just Higurashi?"

Manta told her smiling "Well, we're friends now, so you can call me Manta-kun."

"Same with me. You can call me by my first name too," Yoh added.

Kagome nodded and smiled happily. "I'll do that!" she told them.

From that moment on, the three classmates watched the stars contently with Amidamaru quietly leaning against a tree behind them.

It truly was the beginning of a new life, together...


	2. The Waiting Samurai — A Promise Through the Ages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoh tries to recruit Amidamaru to become his spiritual ally, but the samurai spirit has unfinished business that prevents him from moving on.

**RECAP**

This is the story of Higurashi Kagome.

Kagome was not as ordinary as she seemed to be.

She was as normal as a girl born into a long lineage of priests could be, at least.

People had always told her that she would be someone great, someone special, someone _extraordinary_...

But she decided that was something—a life, that she did not want for herself.

No. She _never_ wanted that.

She never wanted to hear that.

...but that was _then_.

Suddenly, Kagome's life and opinions were changing without notice.

After moving to a small home in inner Tokyo, she met two boys who turned out to be just as strange as she was.

Kagome's first friend was Oyamada Manta: a human boy of small stature but with a big heart who carried around an even bigger encyclopedia.

Her second friend was Asakura Yoh: a seemingly standoffish boy who turned out to be a shaman with a strong sense of duty.

With the mysterious Yoh and the quirky Manta at her side, Kagome was finally able to acknowledge and talk about the supernatural and paranormal without fear of judgment or humiliation.

This was the beginning of Kagome's new life—a life full of wonder and smiles.

* * *

**The Waiting Samurai**

**A Promise Through the Ages**

A week had passed since Yoh and Amidamaru joined forces to defeat Ryu and his gang.

Since then, the ragtag trio became friends. Kagome cupped her hands and laid them on her stomach as she laid flat against the grassy hill. Ever since that night, she and the boys began to rendezvous at Crow Cemetery every day after school. They would spend hours on end there, just enjoying each other's company. The girl smiled at the sound of Yoh's content hum as a passing breeze rustled their clothing and caressed their hair. Manta was sitting against the tree that he had been tied to a week ago, his nose deep within a book as usual.

They did not always speak during their meetings. Sometimes, they would just sit there, watching the clouds float by or admiring the sparkle of a sea of stars. For a moment, Kagome thought about how she said that she was glad to meet these two... That statement remained true. Yoh and Manta were not just schoolmates to associate with during lunchtime. They were true friends who she spent quality time with every day now...

It was nice.

"Shaman…" Manta suddenly read aloud. "They willingly put themselves into trances and communicate with spiritual beings such as God and the spirits of the dead..." He looked at the back of Yoh's head as he tried to connect the boy with the definition.

"Shamans borrow the spirits' abilities and powers to cure disease and manipulate the government." Kagome's eyes opened at the latter part of the definition. She could not help but sit up and give Manta her full attention. People like her using their powers to manipulate the government was news to her. "Since ancient times, shamans have been the epicenter of human societies. Even at this very moment, shamans exist all over the world," He finished.

"What's that book?" Yoh asked as he too rose from his comfortable position to turn and look at Manta.

Manta closed the hard-covered tome and placed it flat on his lap. "It's called _Fountain of knowledge, 'Manjien'_."

Kagome crawled over to the bookworm and took a spot next to him. "You sure do love reading Manta-kun~" she pointed out as her eyes curiously landed on the cover. "But isn't there a more interesting way to find out about shamans?" She wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure," Manta admitted with an embarrassed smile. Learning about the world through reading and studying was his default method. But he would not object to other ways if they presented themselves. "There aren't many people who know about shamans," He pointed out. "And besides that…I still don't quite get it, even with this book."

"Eh?" Yoh blinked, surprised that someone as studious at Manta could not wrap his head around a concept that seemed so simple. "What part don't you understand?"

"Pretty much everything about shamans," Manta told him. "The book said that shamans are different from ESP users, but I can't find the distinction.

Kagome tapped her chin, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Well...in that case..." She trailed off, as if she was hesitant or unsure of her thoughts.

Manta instantly picked up on the girl's change in demeanor. She was usually bubbly and cheerful in disposition so her voice reflected that. "What's up, Kagome-chan?" He asked the girl, offering her a small smile.

She returned the gesture and asked, "Have I ever told you guys that I'm actually a priestess?"

A light bulb clicked on in Yoh's head at the question. "Ah? Like a shrine maiden?" He grinned widely at the girl while giving her an approving thumbs-up, "Awesome! Priestesses are a type of shaman too!"

" _You_?!" Manta gasped. "I never would have guessed!" He stated with widened eyes.

Kagome smiled while giving her friends two thumbs-up, "Yup! I used to live at a shrine on the outskirts of Tokyo. My grandfather always used to tell me different stories and legends." Her hands returned to a resting position as she elaborated, "The storage house has thousands of old scrolls and artifacts, Manta-kun. We could visit sometime, and you could study whatever you'd like~!"

"Woah! Really?!" Manta could not help but jump to his feet excitedly, causing his book to fall to the earth. "When can we go?!" The scholarly boy's eyes were sparklings with joy at the news.

Kagome felt her heart soaring in her chest at the boy's thrilled reaction. But she hid her excitement and merely smiled, "Maybe next week if you're available…" She then looked at the young shaman. "You'll come too, won't you, Yoh-kun?"

Yoh grinned and replied, "Of course. As long as we take the bus! It'll be a long trip, after all~"

Kagome giggled then waved her hand dismissively, "Don't be silly, Yoh-kun. We're gonna bike it!"

The shaman's shoulders and hair stiffened, "B-Bike?!" The color drained from his face at the dreaded thought.

Kagome nodded affirmatively, "Yup! Biking it up past downtown Tokyo will be good exercise!"

"B-But…" Yoh protested as waterfalls began gushing from his eyes. "If I have to use my legs that much, I'll surely die along the way!"

The priestess sweatdropped at his shameless declaration, "Well, technically, the shrine is still in the Tokyo area...just a little further out."

Yoh groaned aloud in response. He then plopped down completely. "I _hate_ exercise!" he almost whined. "Can't we take the easier way?!"

"As much as I'd hate to agree with Yoh-kun—" Manta chimed in a bit bashfully. He easily ignored the shaman's offended cry of _"Hey!"_ as he finished his statement, "I don't think I could make it that far either, Kagome-chan..."

Kagome stifled a laugh at the light jab at Yoh, "Don't worry. I was only kidding~" She looked rather proud of herself as she said, "It would be easy for me to bike it, but I don't think I'd feel like it either." The girl then imitated Yoh by flopping down onto the ground with a content smile on her face.

"Uh oh!" Manta raised a hand to his mouth, as if he heard something shocking. His eyes narrowed as he grinned teasingly, "I think you picked up Yoh-kun's laziness already, Kagome-chan."

Kagome's eyes snapped open. She scrambled into an upright position as she protested while a glare at the boy, "Don't even joke like that, Manta-kun!"

Yoh's jaw dropped as he shot up as well, throwing his friends a shocked look, "Hey now! What do you two have against me?!"

Kagome and Manta quietly shared glances at each other. They then looked at Yoh simultaneously. With Kagome's lips curved into a catty smile and Manta's widened into a playful grin, "Well, where should we begin...?" They asked in unison.

"Some friends you are!"

A couple of hours flew by within the blink of an eye. The trio spent a lot of the time chatting about whatever popped into their heads. At one point, they even ended up lying side by side, pointing at passing clouds and saying what shapes they saw. "Oh! You see that big one right there?" Kagome asked excitedly. "If you look at it from the right angle, it looks just like Yoh-kun!"

"Really?!" The shaman's eyes sparkled as he immediately began searching for himself in the sky.

"Eh?" Manta blinked as he found himself staring at an ordinary cumulus cloud. He tilted his head to left, then to the right. "I don't see Yoh-kun, no matter how I look at it," he said with a puzzled scowl.

The priestess then pointed a small cloud and announced, "And that one looks just like Manta-kun!"

"You're messing with us, aren't you?" Manta deadpanned, earning a guilty giggle from the girl.

Yoh then pointed at a misshapen cloud and called out in a surprised tone, "Oh wow! That one looks exactly look like Kagome-chan!"

The girl twitched, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

After their banter and laughter died down, Manta found himself speaking his thoughts aloud, "Hey...what exactly should I picture when I think of a _'shaman'_?"

Yoh was quick to reply, pointing his thumb at himself, " _Me!_ "

Manta's brow twitched as he brandished his book, "I'll hit you!"

"Well, it's exactly what the book said," Yoh stated in a more serious tone. "All of my family does similar sort of work."

"And what about you?" Manta asked curiously.

Yoh let out a sigh and admitted, "Eh. I'm not interested in politics or religion." He then stood up and patted some dirt and grass off of his pants.

"So why did you come to Tokyo in the first place?" Manta questioned him with innocent eyes. He had never met people like Yoh and Kagome before. He had never known that ghosts truly existed outside of entertainment and urban legends either. It was natural for his inquisitive nature and thirst for knowledge to desire as many details as possible.

Yoh shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked to the base of the slope, "I came to gather partners. A shaman's rank is determined by the strength of the spirits that aid him." He never expected that he would be explaining his purpose for coming all this way to an ordinary human...

But then again, thinking about human beings as a whole... Manta truly wasn't an ordinary one, was he?

"To put it simply, by having a strong spirit at one's side, one is acknowledged to be a full-fledged shaman," the brunette concluded. He then looked out at downtown Tokyo. "I'm sure I can meet a powerful spirit in this huge city." The boy blinked when suddenly Kagome was standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder.

The girl smiled encouragingly and said, "Manta-kun and I will help you find a powerful spi—Eh?" Before she could continue, Yoh was suddenly gone and standing in front of Amidamaru, extending his hand with a chummy grin on his face.

"So, be my partner, Amidamaru!" The brunette offered.

Kagome anime fell. "You're way too blunt about it!" She shouted after regaining her composure.

"What kind of way is that to ask for help?" Manta deadpanned as he shrunk away from his shaman friend.

Amidamaru narrowed his eyes as the grinning child, "You're asking me…to join you?"

"Yeah," Yoh nodded. "Your swordsmanship was amazing! If it's you as my primary spirit—!"

"I refused," the samurai replied flatly. Yoh's jaw dropped at the instant rejection. "It was only a coincidence that your goal was the same as mine. Besides that, I have no reason to help you."

Kagome then cupped her hands together, "How about from the goodness of your heart?" Her pleading eyes shining with stars.

Amidamaru shot the girl a disapproving look that made her squeak in surprise before slumping her shoulders in defeat, "I have no intention of leaving this place." With that said, he turned around and disappeared within his tombstone.

Yoh stared down at the stone with a disappointed scowl.

Kagome then knelt down in front of the tombstone and caressed its surface. "Amidamaru-sama must have some attachment to this place…" she stated sympathetically. "Poor guy…" she added in a whisper.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

After Amidamaru's cold rejection, the trio's hang-out venue changed from Crow Cemetery to the nearby river that Yoh enjoyed watching to relax. The sound of running water always had a therapeutic effect on him since childhood. From the cemetery to the river, the shaman could not help but be drawn to the rare parts of Tokyo that reminded him of home. And how his two new friends were willing to accompany him where ever he went was—.

"Jeez!" Manta's exasperated voice crashed into the serenity of Yoh's thoughts. "What were you thinking?!" He shouted.

Yoh's eyes stayed fixed on the river as he asked back, "About what?"

"What do you mean 'about what'?!" Manta spat back. "You're trying to befriend that kind of a samurai! Amidamaru used to be known as a _devil_!" During his rant, the disgruntled boy closed his eyes and raised up a finger. He did not notice how Yoh's eyes narrowed and Kagome flinched. "He disobeyed his shogun, and mercilessly killed the hundreds of people sent after him!"

"Hmm?" Yoh hummed as his voice stayed neutral and uninterested, "A devil, you say?"

Manta nodded, "That's right! It's a well-known legend around this area!" He opened his eyes and crossed his arms as he concluded his briefing, "If you make him your primary spirit, you're sure to be killed! Just give up on him!"

Kagome propped her elbow against the guard rail and leaned her cheek into her hand. "Manta-kun...you shouldn't be so quick to judge someone like that," She chastised him, but in a low, almost melancholic tone.

Manta blinked, clearly perplexed by the girl's sudden change in demeanor, "Eh? What are you talking about? The legend of Amida—"

"Don't you remember? I'm a priestess, a specialized type of shaman," She reminded him. "I have a strong spiritual connection with God and spirits, like any other shaman... I may not have been trained properly, but I can feel it…" she whispered. "Amidamaru-sama was and still is a good person."

Being friends with Yoh and Manta truly brought Kagome many of her "firsts". One of these firsts included being able to openly talk about her abilities with people outside of her family. She could talk about her unusual abilities without fear of reproach.

Manta scowled and pressed on, "But you said you're not properly trained, so how can you know for sure?"

Kagome huffed as she turned away from the river to glare down at Manta. She placed her hands on her hips and opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by Yoh's voice.

The shaman groaned as he took a moment to stretch his limbs. With a satisfied smile, he surmised "I guess I'll have to make him my ally after all. He looks so strong!"

The priestess's lips widened into a smug smile at Manta, "Ha! I. Win."

Manta pulled at his hair while crying, "Weren't you listening to me at all?! You're just siding with Kagome-chan because she's so cute! That's not fair!"

Yoh chuckled at his friend's accusation before shrugging his shoulders, "Oh, come on. It's just a legend~"

"So you don't believe me?!" Manta asked, his face and voice clearly distressed.

Yoh stared off into the distance and explained, "That's not what I'm saying… I just think such matters should be ignored. When I became one with him…" The brown-haired boy placed his hand over his chest and stated, "It felt...warm."

The shorter boy found himself perplexed by the shaman's words again, "Warm?" He tilted his head to the side like a confused animal.

"Yeah," Yoh replied. "You just know those kinds of things… Right, Kagome-chan?" He asked, looking at the priestess. She placed a hand to her chest and nodded with a smile, "Mmhm~!"

The soft look in the girl's eyes told the shaman that she sensed the same thing that he did, and that was reassuring. Yoh then looked back at Manta and tried to expound, "When you become one with a spirit, you know its true form… You can sense its heart." Even now, Yoh could recall the warm feeling that he experienced when combining with Amidamaru. "I don't think he's a bad guy… However, I also felt a whirlwind of emotions within him." Yoh's eyes narrowed at the memory of his rejection from earlier. "That guy… Why doesn't he want to leave that place?" He muttered.

Kagome frowned and looked up at the sky, "Amidamaru-sama… He still has a very strong attachment to this world… To that place." Yoh 'hm'ed and nodded in agreement.

Manta looked between the two taller teenagers. Once again, he felt lost. They both seemed to pick up something that he could not even begin to wrap his head around...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Amidamaru was quietly resting near his tombstone on one of Crow Cemetery's many hills. The solitude of the grave was broken when a fellow spirit approached and called out to him," Yo, Amidamaru-san!" The samurai spirit opened his eyes and watched as the spirit of a man settled next to him. The man looked down at the samurai, who was sitting cross-legged and armed as he usually did. "About earlier, why did you refuse the kid's offer?"

The man's uni-brow furrowed in frustration as he shook his fists. "I mean, that's such a waste! With that body, you could have had all sorts of fun!"

Amidamaru was quick to cut the spirit down with his cool tone, "I am not like you, who was killed by a bear. I am not a fool who likes violence."

"What?" The spirit hissed offensively. "What did just say you, you heartless killer?!" The man snapped back, "How can you say that when you killed hundreds of people?!"

Amidamaru sighed, but refused to be done in by anger, "Don't dwell on it now." The samurai then stood up and looked at the starry sky, it was the only beauty left in this world for someone like him. "I'm here… to wait for someone." Images of his visitors from earlier came to his mind: Yoh's welcoming smile, Manta's shocked expression, and Kagome's pleading eyes. Despite his dismissal of the boy, their faces and words still stuck with him.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Ryu strutted through downtown Tokyo with his hands stuffed into his pockets. His face was twisted into a sneer as he was lost in thought.

He did not like it.

He did not like this situation at all.

Passersby snickered and openly pointed at him—at his _haircut_.

The teenager deliberately kicked a can at a particularly annoying couple, earning a cry from the girl and scream of outrage from the boy.

Their reactions to his provocation only aggravated him even further. They were supposed to **fear** him.

Ryu stopped in front of a store with glass windows. The children on the other side of the glass ran away screaming at the sight of him pressing his face against the clear surface. The gangster then leaned back to stare at his reflection, remembering how that spiky-haired punk used a wooden sword to emasculate him and cut the length of his hair in half. He growled at the mental image of that kid.

Yes... He would have his revenge soon enough.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Neither Kagome nor Manta had expected Yoh to pick the local museum as the destination for their today's trip. It was even more surprising since the museum was a half hour's walk from their meeting spot outside of Crow Cemetery. But neither of the two would complain about the shaman's choice. Manta was a studious person who enjoyed learning while Kagome was just happy to spend time with her new friends.

Yoh smiled as he commented casually, "It's amazing how Amidamaru's sword from 600 years ago is still in such good shape." The trio walked through a lush park area, down an unpaved road that led to the museum. Manta, the shortest, walked between Kagome and Yoh with her on his left and him on his right.

"Well, it's still an important part of the town's history so many have worked hard to preserve it," Manta stated matter-of-factly. "Anyway, why do you wanna see something like that anyway?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The shaman asked while locking his fingers behind his head. "I wanna know more about Amidamaru!"

Kagome brought her hand to her lips as she added in, "Yeah, I think that visiting the sword will be a good opportunity."

"Opportunity…?" Manta repeated. "For what?"

"To find more clues about what binds Amidamaru-sama to this world," Kagome explained solemnly.

"I understand Yoh's interest in Amidamaru since he wants to team up with him, but why do you care so much, Kagome-chan?" asked the blond boy.

Kagome was quick to huff and cross her arms, "I come from a long line of priests. I won't let a poor spirit suffer eternally. Every spirit deserves its rest. Even if they are called a devil."

Yoh laughed, patting Kagome's head, "You're so cute when you're trying to be noble~"

Kagome's cheeks went aflame as she batted the hand away, "Cut it out! I'm being serious here!"

Manta grinned and teased, "Aw, she's blushing~"

The priestess even again while sticking her nose in the air, "You guys are jerks!" She pouted.

A few minutes later, the three teenagers stopped abruptly as a small building came into sight. "Harusame is displayed in that museum," Manta told them. They shared smiles before nodding and continuing down the path. However, all of the excitement and anticipation that they felt was depleted once they got to the front door. Manta read the sign on the door and swore, "Damn it! It's closed!"

Yoh was fine with laughing it off, "Guess we came here for nothing~"

Kagome could not help but sigh softly while frowning, "What a waste… Maybe we can come back another time."

They turned around at the sound of a bike coming to a halt. A man in a green jumpsuit approached them, broom in hand and concern on his face, "What's wrong, guys? Do you have some business here?"

It was a janitor.

They were lucky— _Really_ lucky.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The man gladly flicked on all of the lights and unlocked the doors to the exhibits for the youngsters. "I'm sorry, even though it's closed today..." Manta apologized with a bow to show his respect and gratitude. "You still bothered to let us look around."

The janitor smiled at the child's maturity but held up a hand as he explained, "You came all the way here with interest in this town's history, so I can't just send you away." It did his heart good to see that children were interested in their roots.

"Um, about Harusame…" Yoh began slowly while gesturing at the locked exhibit down the hallway.

The man laughed in amusement and began flipping through his heavy keyring, "That's right. Harusame will be happy too."

Kagome took this moment to bow deeply, "I'm sure it will be. Thank you so much for helping us."

The boys imitated her while offering more thanks of their own. After the man insisted that it was his pleasure to show them around, the teenagers continued towards their objective for coming. As expected of an exhibit for a single item, it was small and quaint. A rectangular glass casing was supported by a marble platform. The trio crowded around the case as Manta took the liberties of reading the metallic plaque aloud.

"So, this is Harusame, huh?" Kagome asked as she stared down at the katana. Naturally, it had long lost its sheen and was covered in knicks and rust.

The janitor, who stood in the doorway of the lone exhibit, informed them, "It is said that Amidamaru, the devil, loved this katana so much that he was able to wield like it was a part of his body."

Kagome smiled and whispered aloud, "Amidamaru-sama sure is amazing…"

The man in the doorway looked puzzled as he disgested her words, "Is?"

Manta grinned cheesily and clapped his hands together, "Oh! Our friend meant the legend of Amidamaru is amazing because people still fear him today! Right, Yoh-kun?"

The shaman grinned as well as he added, "Yeah! She may not look it but she's his biggest fan!" When the man sent a questioning look at the girl, she nodded enthusiastically in support of the cover-up.

Manta looked up at the man and changed the subject, "Anyway, what did you mean by what you said before… That Harusame would be happy?"

"I was wondering the same thing actually," Kagome admitted.

"There's a rumor that Harusame sheds tears at night. It is said that sniffling sounds can be heard," the man held up a finger as he explained. "A katana is the spirit of a samurai after all. There must have been a strong bond between Amidamaru and Harusame. If possible, I wanted to place it next to his tombstone…"

All four of them stared down at the katana with gazes of wonder for a moment.

"Well, at least someone came by." The man stated almost cheerfully. He then turned a smile to the girl and asked, "Why don't you be Harusame's companion, in place of Amidamaru? Harusame will surely be happy." With that said, the janitor walked away slowly to go about his business.

Manta chuckled a bit before asking Yoh, "Even though you're a shaman, you can't talk to katanas, right?" Although it sounded silly, it certainly was a serious inquiry. The boy found that he did not fully comprehend the scope of this mystery, spiritual side to the world that he recently discovered.

Yoh went to sit down on a bench and replied, "Hmm…" He leaned his back and stared up at the ceiling," I'm not sure."

"Eh?" Manta paused. "Do you think it's possible?"

Kagome admitted with a sheepish smile, "Not even I've ever heard of communicating with inanimate objects before."

"Eh," the brunette shrugged. "Just forget about it. More importantly, do you wanna see when Harusame cries?"

Manta stiffened at the thought of witnessing more paranormal activity, "E-Eh—! Well, you see..."

Kagome patted his head causing the small boy to look up at her. She then placed her hands on her hips and offered him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about a thing. I'll be here too."

Hours flew by with no sign of paranormal activity. Yoh, Manta, and Kagome were still waiting for Harusame to cry or do _anything_. So far, Harusame was acting like anything sword; it just sat there.

Manta had fallen asleep after a while. Yoh still watched the katana intently. And Kagome had become so bored that she began reading the book about shamans that Manta brought along with them. Suddenly the sandy-haired lad was roused from sleep by a strange sound. His eyes shot open as he looked left and right fearfully, "W-What was that?!"

Yoh rubbed his stomach, finally turning his gaze from Harusame to his two friends. "I'm hungry, wanna go buy something?"

Manta anime fell; to think he thought there was something to be afraid of! He quickly regained his composure, "Are you trying to use me as your servant?"

Yoh grinned, admitting almost shamelessly, "Well, actually, I don't have any money."

Kagome smoothed some wrinkles out of her tan skirt and smiled apologetically, "Yeeeeeah, sorry, I left my wallet at home since this skirt has no pockets."

Manta's eyebrow twitched, "Jeez! You're both so irresponsi—!"

The faint sound of a water droplet dropping into a puddle made his blood run cold. "W-What…? What is it this time…?" His eyes trailed down from a puddle on the floor up onto a trail of water that led back up to Harusame's case. "It's… It's crying! Harusame is crying!"

Yoh stood up and told Manta, "Look carefully. It's not Harusame that's crying. It's that man." He then pointed at a spirit dress in an old kimono who was weeping into his hands. The smile on Kagome's face faded into a soft, sympathetic expression as Manta's body became even more rigid.

"I-it! It's shown itself!" Manta shrieked as he jumped behind the girl.

The man looked up, his eyes filled with fresh tears. "What…What do you mean 'shown itself'...?" He blinked some tears away while asking with surprise and skepticism," You guys can see me?"

Kagome nodded silently and allowed Manta to finish panicking from behind her, "Yeah! Very clearly!"

The man showed his manly pride by turning away to wipe the tears away from his face. "This isn't good. I'm embarrassed that you saw that."

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Yoh told him reassuringly.

The man was sitting cross-legged atop of Harusame's display. He had unkempt, spiky black hair. Even his old-style kimono appeared to filthy and well-worn. You could tell that this was not a man who lived a life of luxury during his time.

Kagome closed the book and placed it on the bench next to her. "So what's the matter, mister?" she asked. "Why were you crying?"

Instead of answering the girl's question, the strange spirit turned began eying the teens suspiciously, "What's going on? Who are you people?"

Yoh responded in a laidback voice that almost put the spirit at ease, "I'm Yoh. And these are my friends, Manta and Kagome." Manta offered a stammer with his greeting as Kagome smiled during hers.

The man crossed his arms but seemed satisfied with the answer, "I am Mosuke, a swordsmith."

"Mosuke?" Yoh blinked. "That name is so old-fashioned."

The swordsmith gritted his teeth and snapped, shaking his fist at the brunette," It's six-hundred years old! Of course, it's old-fashioned!"

"Oh," The shaman said simply. "That makes sense then."

"Yoh-kun, you're an idiot, aren't you?" Kagome deadpanned.

"Eh?!" The shaman's eyes widened as a shocked expression appeared on his face. "How did you know?!"

Suddenly, Mosuke's words clicked inside of Manta's head and as he cut in, "Six hundred years?! That's during the same era as Amidamaru's legend!"

Mosuke's eyes flickered with recognition as he balled up his fists, "Do you guys know Amidamaru?"

Yoh nodded, "Speaking of Amidamaru, isn't that his katana? Why are you haunting it?"

Mosuke lowered his head a bit. He was quiet for a moment so he stared down at the rusty sword, "This is…also my katana. I forged it with my own two hands."

The teens exchanged surprised looks. Not even Manta had heard anything about the other man behind the legendary sword.

"Woah, that's so cool!" Kagome praised, sounding like the fan that her friends made her out to be. "So you knew Amidamaru-sama when you two were alive?"

"Yes, I know him well," Mosuke responded as his voice lowered. "I was the one...who killed him," he confessed with a face laden with shame and guilt.

Manta's eye bulged at the scruffy-looking man, "What?! _YOU_ killed the devil?!"

"Bite your tongue, you moron!" Mosuke suddenly snapped. Manta squeaked and nearly jumped out of his skin.

The swordsmith's shoulders trembled as he lowered his head again, "Don't… Don't you dare call him a devil!" Mosuke's voice began to waver, cluing them in the tears that he was hiding again. "He's… He's not… He's not like that…"

"Yeah, we know," Yoh suddenly stated, causing the man to raise surprised eyes at him. Ever since the museum had opened, this was the first time that anyone had spoken highly of his old friend. "Amidamaru isn't an evil person," Yoh said. "Mosuke, tell me. What happened six hundred years ago? What's the relationship between you and Amidamaru?"

Mosuke nodded as he used his arm to wipe his tears away again. Once he was ready, he began his, "Amidamaru is my friend...my one and only true friend. It was a miserable era... The people were plagued with endless, unstoppable war, agonizing starvation, oppressive bandits... People were mercilessly murdered… But even during that living hell, we lived only to make our dreams come true…"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Amidamaru and Mosuke were best friends for as long as they could remember. Like many other children, they were left orphaned due to war, murder, or famine. Despite their circumstances, the dreamy children did all that they could to live their best lives... But like in other eras, some people were not above taking advantage of the weak and abusing children.

From a young age, Amidamaru taught himself the way of the sword in order to protect himself, Mosuke, and the other wayward children. From the first time that the brave lad thwarted the nefarious ways of predatory adults, Amidamaru and Mosuke knew their dream. Amidamaru wanted to become a samurai who would serve under a righteous lord and protect the innocent and weak. And it was Mosuke's desire to forge the strongest swords for the land's greatest warriors to wield.

From childhood, they struggled, trained, and lived to fulfill their dreams.

At last, as young adults, their dreams seemed more and more in reach...

"It's a wonderfully made katana," The lord praised the two young men bowing before him. He raised his eyes from the splendid sword to the men. "Wanderers," he stated, addressing Amidamaru and Mosuke. "Was this Harusame truly made by you two?" He inquired with genuine interests.

"Yes, my lord," Mosuke replied respectfully. He tried to contain his proud smile as his chest puffed out from the nobleman's admiration.

The lord noticed the excitement on the two young men's faces and chuckled, "I do have an eye for swords so your skill and expertise does not go unnoticed." He then looked at them and asked, "What do you say? Would you two like to work here?"

Mosuke and Amidamaru shared their grins before turning back to the lord. "Yes, sir!" They chorused in unison while bowing respectfully. From this point on, they knew that they had nowhere to go. They were finally given the chance to fulfill their dreams after all.

_'But in the end… Hell was still hell.'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Kill Mosuke?!" Amidamaru screamed out into the silent night air. His body tensed as he was overcome with a feeling of nausea. The command from his new lord brought his entire world crashing down on him. The dream of living the life that he had painstakingly sought after was no more.

The lord placed a finger over his lips, "Ssssh... Don't be so loud." Amidamaru was almost speechless about how someone could casually command another to betray and murder their best friend. He then unsheathed the Harusame and admired its craftmanship again, "The eerie light cast by that sword is mesmerizing… Mosuke truly has talent."

He then put the blade away and turned his gaze back to Amidamaru's horrified eyes, "However, you know the more rare something is, the more value it holds. A rare katana like this… There must _not_ be another sword like it anywhere. Do you understand, Amidamaru?" asked the shogun. "Being slain by a friend is still a mercy killing, is it not?"

Under the cover of the night, the samurai went to his best friend's side.

But instead of following his lord's orders, Amidamaru told his best friend of the plot against him.

"How can this be?!" Mosuke despaired as his eyes filled with bitter tears. "We've come this far! Our new lives were just about to begin!" He yelled, punching the tree on the hilltop where he and his friend stood. After spending many moments lost in thought, the swordsmith knew what he had to do, as a friend. Mosuke sighed deeply and resigned to his date, "Do it, Amidamaru. For a samurai, a shogun's order is…"

"Run away," Amidamaru suddenly cut in. His best friend's eyes widened at those words. "You mustn't die here. Escape while you can."

Mosuke protested in an instant, "You idiot! If you do that, you will be—!"

Amidamaru looked out into the starry sky and responded, "Don't worry about it. I'm doing it because I want to."

This was the right decision, Amidamaru knew it. He could not sacrifice his best friend for the sake of his own integrity.

Mosuke saw the resolve on his best friend's face. Even after becoming an official samurai, he never changed.

The swordsmith grinned, "Alright, give me the Harusame. We may never meet again. But I want to give you the finest sword. The finest Harusame."

It was then that they promised the meet in that exact spot in half a day...but their promised meeting never came.

That was the last time that they had seen each other.

Amidamaru kept his promise and waited for his friend to return to him with their parting gift...

He waited...and waited...until he found himself surrounded by a legion of mercenaries.

"No matter how long you wait for Mosuke, he won't be coming."

"We took care of him for you."

"We'll send you to the other world soon too."

Amidamaru refused to believe that his friend was gone. He fearlessly glared the men down, "I have no intention of leaving this place!" With those final words, the faithful samurai drew his swords and proceeded to slaughter the hundreds of men who came to do him in. The once pure white moon was now glowing red as if the blood of the slain stained its very surface.

_'_ _That night… He became a legend. Because of his powerful swordsmanship, he was nicknamed the Devil. However, without Harusame, Amidamaru eventually ran out of strength and…'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Mosuke held his head in his hands as he continued to weep and berate himself, "If I didn't exist, he wouldn't have died! It's the same as killing him myself…!"

By this time, elephant-sized tears flowed down Manta's cheeks after he was sucked into the untold part of the legend.

Kagome's fist tightened at her sides. She stepped in front of Mosuke and whispered, "That is not true, Mosuke-san. It's not your fault that Amidamaru-sama died. He is only human, or he was anyway. Every living being comes to an end somehow." Her body acted on his own when she placed a comforting on his shoulder. The priestess suppressed a gasp when she realized that she was able to touch the incorporeal body.

Mosuke shook his head in denial, "No! You don't understand anything! If it weren't for me, Amidamaru would not have died that way…! His death, his defamation, his shame—all of it is my fault!"

Kagome shook her head and told him, "That's not true... I do understand your pain, Mosuke-san. I can feel it inside me…" she said, placing her hand over her heart. "An overwhelming feeling of regret and yearning, that's what I feel..." She told him, "But I think that you should feel honored."

"Honored?!" Mosuke's temper flared. "Are you stupid, or just heartless?!"

Yoh took it upon himself to fill in for the girl, "I agree with, Kagome-chan. It is an honor that such a great samurai would risk so much to keep a promise. He gave up his life because he valued your friendship and your life more than his own."

Mosuke's eyes watered up. Maybe these strange children were right. Maybe he had spent too long feeling guilty to see things from Amidamaru's point of view. "You know...even if you're right..." He gave the trio a teary-eyed smile. "I won't be able to rest in peace until I'm able to fulfill my promise and give Amidamaru his Harusame."

Yoh then smiled while replying nonchalantly, "Then give it to him."

Manta finally stood up, sobbing grossly with snot dangling from his nose, "That's right! Amidamaru is waiting for you! He's been waiting for six-hundred years, in the promised place!"

"Wha—?" In that instant, Mosuke envisioned his best friend as he was six-hundred years ago, sitting cross-legged...all alone, waiting for him to keep his promise. Despite his trembling lip, he was finally able to fight back the tears that he had been shedding for so long. Today was the first time in centuries that he felt the tiniest spark of hope.

"Well, let's go," Yoh grinned while pointing at the exit with his thumb.

Mosuke looked down at Harusame and whispered, "But it's..."

"What's the matter?" Kagome pressed. After all that she had heard, she was heavily invested in fixing this tragedy and bringing forth a happy ending.

The swordsmith took in the appearance of the sword and explained, "It's impossible. With Harusame in this condition… I wouldn't dare face him after all of this time." His large hands clenched into fists. Despite the inspiration that the children had given him, there was no way that he could truly fulfill his promise... How could he keep one true friend waiting for so long, only to present a piece of junk?

"It's okay," Yoh reassured him with an easy-going grin. The brunette slapped a hand over his chest as he spoke, "I am a shaman, the one who links this world to the next."

Kagome and Manta stared at their friend's face. It was in moments like this when Yoh rarely looked serious, and noble.

He was a care-free, lazy person, but he was earnest when it came to his job.

"A shaman…?" Mosuke's blinked. He had not heard anyone speak of anything so ancient and spiritual in a long time. These children continued to surprise him ever since they arrived.

"Use my body, Mosuke," Yoh offered while extending his hand to the spirit. "Use my body to make the finest katana." Before the spirit had the opportunity to ask any more questions

"Let's go, Mosuke!" The shaman commanded as he transformed the spirit. "Mosuke, Ghost Ball Mode!"

Manta whispered in awe, "It's almost as amazing as seeing it the first time."

Kagome smiled and nodded, "Yoh-kun is so awesome!" Seeing the annoyed expression on Manta's face, she laughed sheepishly, "Eh heh" she patted his head and added in, "Oh yeah, you're okay too."

"Jee, thanks," Manta deadpanned at the half-hearted praised.

After the light that Yoh's body emitted subsided, the young shaman was hunched over. His body was steaming as his head hung low. Once he raised his eye, Kagome could see that she was not looking into Yoh's eyes, but Mosuke's. "He said your names are Manta and Kagome, right? Take me to the nearest iron factory!"

Kagome looked down at Manta, hoping that he knew the area well enough to grant Mosuke his request. The determined smile on Manta's smile caused Kagome to beam and nod silently.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The lavender-haired samurai gaped at the shining, new katana that Yoh held in his hands with pure astonishment. Disbelief dripped from his lips. "T-This sheen... Harusame." Amidamaru whispered. "C… Could it be you?" He asked of the sword.

"Mosuke-san was still wandering around in this world without being able to rest," Manta informed the spirit who was so astonished to see his best friend's work again after so many years.

Caught in the memories of the past, Amidamaru almost did not hear the words of the hopeful teenagers that stood around his tombstone. "This has to be it..." He told himself. "You're right. Only he could have forged this sword…" He surmised. Everything about this Harusame was flawless, from the curve to the edges. This was a masterpiece that only Mosuke's talented hands could have created.

Yoh then sheathed the katana and stated, "A message from Mosuke: _'Sorry. I made you wait'_ … Or so he says." The shaman then beamed at the samurai.

"Where _is_ Mosuke?" Amidamaru asked as he stepped forward and looked around.

"Mosuke-san moved on…" Kagome whispered. "He said he couldn't face you after making you wait six-hundred years. So he already crossed into the other world," she explained solemnly.

Amidamaru could not help but chuckle, "Yeah, that sounds like him."

Yoh placed the new Harusame at Amidamaru's feet and smiled, "And now, you can also rest in peace. I'll just leave this here. Later."

With that said, the shaman began to walk away. Manta blinked at Yoh's change in heart. He expected that this moment would end with Amidamaru joining Yoh out of gratitude but... The blond merely shook his head and concluded that he still had a lot to learn about shamans and spirits before he could make assumptions. He then tucked his book tighter beneath his armpit before following after Yoh.

"Heeeeey! Wait, wait! Wait for me, Yoh-kun!" Manta called after the departing shaman.

"Yoh-dono…" Amidamaru whispered as he watched the two go. The spirit turned his gaze to the girl who did not chase off after her friends. "Kagome-san?"

The young priestess shook her head and smiled sweetly, "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay. I want to see you off to the next world, Amidamaru-sama."

The samurai could not fight the smile spread across his lips. "Sure," He nodded to her. "I'd be honored."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Yoh and Manta slowly descended the stairs of Crow Cemetery. As if reading each other's thoughts, they both paused to watch Amidamaru go from a distance. The samurai was surrounded by a beam of light from the heavens and was slowly ascending towards the stars.

"Since he no longer has an attachment to this world, Amidamaru will rest in peace just like Mosuke-san, right?" Manta asked. "Now it's no longer possible for you to make Amidamaru your primary spirit."

"I guess I did something that I might regret later," The shaman stated crossing his arms and nodding to himself. "Finding a strong spirit like him isn't easy." Yoh then grinned widely at Manta, "But if he rests in peace, that's the best thing."

"Eh? Don't tell me you… Even from the beginning, you were planning to—" Before Manta could finish asking his question, Yoh continued strolling down towards the exiting. "Wait! Was that it, Yoh-kun?!" The curious boy pressed on as he quickened his pace to catch up to his friend. "Huh?" the boy blinked in unison when Ryu suddenly stepped in front of them.

"I found you, punk," the younger teen greeted while lightly tapping his wooden sword against his shoulder.

"Ryu of the Wooden Sword!" Manta cried out. He could not help but stiffen as memories of their first encounter came to mind.

Yoh merely grinned while raising his hand into a friendly wave, "Yo!"

On instinct, Ryu raised his hand back and replied, "Yo." His eyes then narrowed when he remembered why he was here, "MY _ASS_! Because you messed up my hairdo, I'm the laughing stock of town! No, the _world_!" He barked before getting into a fighting stance with his wooden sword. "This time, _I'll_ return the favor! Prepare yourself!"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"I'm happy for you, Amidamaru-sama…" the priestess whispered to the samurai.

The peace and gratification on the samurai's face warmed her heart and made her insides feel fuzzy.

Suddenly, the moment that Kagome thought to be beautiful was interrupted by the startling sounds of Yoh's and Manta's screams. She whipped around and looked down the hill. She gasped at the sight of the familiar gangster beating her friends mercilessly.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Why…? Why does this keep happening?" Manta asked as his body wobbled and felt off-balance. "Oof!" He almost fell over completely but his friend held him firmly in place.

"You okay, Manta?" Yoh asked with concerned eyes.

"You should worry more about yourself than others!" Ryu told Yoh before swinging his sword down at them again. Yoh quickly grabbed Manta and narrowly dodged the attack. "And don't expect me to forgive you with that little bit of punishment," He snarled as the shaman created more distance between them.

"Aren't you overreacting?" the brunette asked incredulously before trying to reason his assailant. "It's just a bit of hair!"

"That's not the reason! This is still my 'Best Place'!"

Yoh dodged another attack and replied, "Everyone here thinks you're annoying, go find some other place!"

" _Everyone_?!" Ryu seethed as his eyes narrowed even more. "Just who the hell is everyone?"

"That was close…" Yoh said as he finished evading another attack with Manta tucked under his arm.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"No! Yoh-kun! Manta-kun!" Kagome called out. "Without Amidamaru, Yoh-kun can't win on his own." She looked up at Amidamaru and told him, balling up her fist. "I'm going to help them! Forgive me for not being there to see you off." She bowed quickly, yet deeply. The girl then took off, leaving Amidamaru alone with his thoughts.

She looked over her shoulder and yelled, "Rest in peace, Amidamaru-sama!" She raced down the stairs and gasped in horror when her friends collapsed at her friends. They were covered in scrapes and fresh bruises. Just as she did during their first encounter, the girl put herself between Ryu and her friends. She glared him at and yelled, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, huh?!"

Ryu gasped when he realized that he was chastised by the angel girl that captured his heart. He shook his head to get rid of his lovesick thoughts, "Kagome-chan, why degrade yourself by hanging around weaklings who can't protect you?" He smirked while running a hand through his hair, "Step aside and I'll prove that I'm the best man for you."

Yoh grunted as he slowly tried to get up, "K-Kagome, chan… Run away, quickly. You can make it without me." Once he was back on his feet, Yoh added, "Take Manta with you. I'll hold him off."

The girl ignored the noble offer and went to Yoh's side instead. She then steadied him wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "Don't be stupid," She snapped. "We're friends Yoh-kun. We have to face everything together. It's better that way."

Ryu smirked as he noticed how the three younger teens leaned on and supported each other, "How touching. It looks like I'll have to get rid of them entirely to have you for myself." He raised his sword and swung at them. "Prepare yourselves!"

The beating that the unarmed children received was ruthless, Amidamaru could see that from the skies above. He knew firsthand how painful wooden swords could be. Watching them struck one-by-one reminded the samurai of his younger years...how adults would take advantage of anyone and everyone weaker than them. This was a new day and age, and yet, it was still happening...

He watched as a wide swing smashed into the smallest children's ribs, sending him flying into a tombstone.

The girl bravely dove at the man from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist to hold him in place. Her efforts were in vain as she was easily pushed away.

The young shaman was the next victim. He was the tip of the sword on his left cheek, then his right, and his left again.

Amidamaru narrowed his eyes...and made his decision.

What kind of man would he be if he abandoned defenseless children?

Ryu stood above the boy who annoyed him the most. He double-gripped his sword and raised it above his head.

Yoh shut his eyes and awaited the blow. But instead of pain, he felt the familiar warmth of Amidamaru as his hands rose and caught the sword between them. "Why…?" the shaman asked the spirit as his eyes snapped open in shock. "This has nothing to do with you."

Amidamaru replied, "It has everything to do with me. It is a samurai's duty to return a favor."

The shaman then chuckled in response, "You sure are stubborn..."

Ryu was taken aback at the boy's sudden reflexes and strength, "W-What are you mumbling about…?!"

"Amidamaru-sama… Thank goodness…" Kagome sighed in relief. Seeing the union between her shaman friend and the samurai spirit, she knew that tide of the battle was turned in their favor. She took the unconscious Manta into her arms and quietly moved to the sidelines.

"Prepare yourself," the combined duo commanded. Without another warning, he gripped the sword in his hands and flipped Ryu over his shoulder. The gangster was sent flying into a nearby tree and instantly lost consciousness from the impact.

Amidamaru exited Yoh's body and appeared before the young shaman.

Yoh grinned widely and spoke, "Thanks a lot for saving our butts." He then looked towards the sky and added,"Now go. Mosuke is waiting for you."

Kagome's eyes lit up when the samurai replied with, "It looks like I'm stuck here again." A smile spread across the samurai's face as he spoke, "Even though I would like to follow Mosuke, it seems like it'll be a while before I can go to the other world."

That was the day that Asakura Yoh and Amidamaru formed an unbreakable bond.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome, Manta, and Yoh were walking across the street in downtown Tokyo.

"I can't wait for us to reach your shrine, Kagome-chan," Manta admitted as they continued their journey.

Kagome smiled and laughed, "Me either. But I wish you hadn't brought that book along, Manta-kun. We're visiting for scrolls and stuff anyway."

"That's just the way he is," Yoh shrugged it off.

"You're right," Kagome sighed. "He's pretty hopeless."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The bookworm retorted.

"Nothing, nothing~" Kagome sang with a teasing smile.

"Huh?" Within the split-second that it took for her to blink, everyone and everything disappeared except her and Yoh. "What's going on, Yoh-kun? Where did Manta-kun go?" She questioned while looking around for signs of Manta.

Yoh did not answer.

"Yoh-kun…?"

He just stood there.

Kagome blinked again.

Suddenly they were standing waist-deep in a sea of blood. "Wh—What is this?!" Her eyes widened at the sight of a dorsal fin rising above the surface of the crimson sea. It shot right past her, allowing her a glimpse of its glowing golden eyes. It was headed straight for Yoh.

"Watch out, Yoh-kun! Watch out! It'll get you! It'll get you!"

Kagome's eyes shot open as she sat up to find that she was still in bed. She was panting heavily and her body was drenched in sweat. "A dream…?" she whispered as she looked at her digital clock. It was exactly three o clock in the morning: the witching hour. "...or maybe...an omen...?"

_'An apex predator with striking golden eyes... What could that mean…?'_


	3. A Shaman's Duties — The Person She Admires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoh demonstrates what being a shaman means to him as he, Manta, and Kagome live out their middleschool days.

**RECAP**

This is the story of Higurashi Kagome.

Kagome was not as ordinary as she seemed to be.

She was as normal as a girl born into a long lineage of priests could be, at least.

People had always told her that she would be someone great, someone special, someone _extraordinary_...

But she decided that was something—a life, that she did not want for herself.

No. She _never_ wanted that.

She never wanted to hear that.

...but that was _then_.

Suddenly, Kagome's life and opinions were changing without notice.

After moving to a small home in inner Tokyo, she met two boys who turned out to be just as strange as she was.

Kagome's first friend was Oyamada Manta: a human boy of small stature but with a big heart who carried around an even bigger encyclopedia.

Her second friend was Asakura Yoh: a seemingly standoffish boy who turned out to be a shaman with a strong sense of duty.

With the mysterious Yoh and the quirky Manta at her side, Kagome was finally able to acknowledge and talk about the supernatural and paranormal without fear of judgment or humiliation.

After meeting her new friends, the priestess began her strange yet ordinary life—an ordinary life where the paranormal and extraordinary would suddenly happen and shake things up. She found that she was living the best of both worlds.

After helping Yoh befriend Amidamaru, the powerful samurai spirit that he had his eyes set on, she continued living her strange yet ordinary life. Each day promised to be a new surprise that she looked forward to. Her bleak, predictable days of a mundane life was finally over.

This was the beginning of Kagome's new life—a life full of wonder and smiles.

* * *

**A Shaman's Duties**

**The Person She Admires**

It was just past 7:00 P.M. when Kagome had finished her homework for the night. She ended her daily rendezvous with Yoh and Manta earlier than usual today. It would have been a lie if she said that Yoh's disappointed look did not tempt her to shake her duties. But the little angel Kagome on her shoulder won in the end. Ever since her mother reluctantly allowed her to move out, Kagome promised herself that she would be as responsible as possible and prioritize her obligations. She did not want to disappoint her mother and let all of her efforts to leave be in vain.

Kagome's only reassurance that she was making the right decision was Manta's understanding smile and words. Thus, the girl was home by early evening and taking care of important matters. Upon arriving home, her first order of business was checking on her slow-cooking pot of Niku Jaga that she had prepared before departing for school that morning. _'Mmmm!'_ She closed her eyes and smiled as she inhaled the mouth-watering aroma. The steaming beef and vegetables looked as soft as butter as they simmered in her sake-based broth. _'It smells just like Mama's!'_ She noted with pride before resealing the crockpot with its ceramic lid.

The next order of business was finishing her homework and studying before dinner. Time flew by as she buried her nose in her textbooks and notes. There were a few times where Kagome found herself idly sketching doodles of Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru into her notebook. But for the most part, the girl was pleased at her productivity. And finally, after finishing her homework, Kagome decided to spend some time bathing before having her meal.

At last, she could truly relax and unwind. With her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, the girl carefully stepped into the tub then sat down. Kagome unknowingly smiled as she dialed the number of the house that she grew up in. Her small body sunk further in the bath as she tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling. After several moments of nothing but dial-tone, her mother's voice finally answered on the other end of the line, "Good evening. This is the Higurashi residence~"

Despite having called her mother several times since moving out, it still felt strange and new to hear that line coming from the opposite end of the phone line. Kagome still could not help but melt at the sound of her mother's comforting voice, the voice of home. "Hi, Mama. It's me~" She greeted back.

"Ah, my little Kagome~" the older woman was obviously beaming. "I'm so glad to hear your voice. How was your day today?" She asked warmly. Kagome's eyes softened a bit at the question. It was the same question that her mother asked every day since she began her schooling years ago. The question, while simple and sweet, was more loaded with warmth than ever. No longer was the question a routine or formality like in the past…

"My day was pretty good actually~" Kagome replied in a bubbly tone that made her mother smile. "How about yours, Mama?" The girl asked back. But again, it was no longer out of routine or formality.

"It went well~ Sota passed his spelling test with flying colors! But we owe that to your cousins," The woman chuckled a bit as she spoke. "They got into some trouble with their parents again so they'll be staying with us for a while." For a few minutes, Kagome did nothing but bask in the nostalgia of her mother's voice. With her eyes closed, she could envision the familiar smile on her face. "So, how are you and your friends doing?" Higurashi-san ended up asking.

"Great actually!" Kagome quickly said. "Nothing strange really happened today but it was still really fun to be with them. I think the two of them make a balanced pair. Yoh-kun can be so lazy but Manta-kun's diligence more than makes up for that. But," She laughed at the memory of Manta lecturing Yoh about sleeping during class, "sometimes Manta-kun can be focused to a fault, so Yoh-kun's laidback nature brings him back to reality. Oh yeah, and Amidamaru-sama is a very kind soul, but Manta-kun needs some time to get used to him."

Kagome's mother's soft chuckle was as comforting as the warm water surrounding her. How did she not notice how much she enjoyed that sound before? "I see," Higurashi-san replied in an amused tone. "Well, I'm glad that you've made true friends so quickly. It sounds like you're genuinely happy."

Kagome nodded, more to herself than to her mother. "Yeah, I'm glad too…" She then remembered the conversation that she had with her friends a few days ago. "Oh, right!" She lightly bonked herself on the head for almost forgetting something so important. "Mama, I told my friends that they could visit the shrine this weekend so we could go through some scrolls," she explained, her voice bright with excitement. "Is that okay?" She asked.

"Coming home so soon?" Higurashi-san lightly joked. "I'd love to have you and your friends over! The more, the merrier~" The woman stifled a chuckle at the muffled sound of her daughter trying to contain her elated squeal. She knew that Kagome was doing her best to appear mature so that they would not worry about her as much anymore. While she was grateful that her daughter was taking her responsibilities seriously, she was even more glad to know that she had the chance to act as a child should.

"Awesome! Thanks, Mama!" Kagome smiled from ear-to-ear. "I'll let them know that we can come on Saturday but I'll come home Friday so I can spend some time with you! I miss you guys!"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome sweatdropped when Manta pulled his sleeve up his arm to check his watch for the fifth time in the past three minutes. The aggravated expression on his face was one thing. But the way that he gripped the straps of his backpack and tapped his foot against the pavement was another. She knew that Yoh was in for an ear-full whenever he showed up. "Eh, you should probably stop checking your watch," The girl suggested with a nervous half-smile. "Time only slows down when you watch it."

Manta's expression only hardened at her words. He scowled deeply while crossing his arms over his chest, "Yeah, but I can't help it! We're going to be late because of that lazy guy!" If there was one thing that the Oyamada was proud of: it was his academic record. He was a dedicated student with perfect scores that was only rivaled by his attendance record.

The girl smiled while waving her hand dismissively, "Relax, Manta-kun! I'm sure that we'll be fine if—"

"Did you forget the P.E. tests this morning?" Manta cut in, eyes narrowed and voice sharpened.

Her friend's words cut her deep as the girl went completely pale and froze on the spot, her smile still plastered on her face. Kagome was as silent as a grave on the outside while her inner voice spoke, _'That's right… The boys have a kendo test and the girls have one for archery…'_

The Oyamada could not help but smirk a bit when Kagome finally recovered and balled up her hands angrily. A passionate, fiery aura surrounded the girl as she glared out into the distance, "Manta-kun, we must make it to school on time, at all costs!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Manta mumbled. He then sighed deeply and stated, "How did we get ourselves mixed up with such a hopeless guy? Yoh-kun is the type who needs someone there to wake him up every morning."

Kagome tapped her chin while looking thoughtful, "Manta-kun...waking Yoh-kun up every morning…" She looked down at her friend as her imagination went to work. "Like a girlfriend…"

The scene in Kagome's inner-mind theater faded in from white to a typical teenage boy's room. Random clothing was strewn about as Yoh slept soundly in his messy bed. "Yoh-kun!" Manta called as he opened the door and entered the room. "Yoh-kun, wake up! We have to go to school soon!" The blond boy pouted as he walked over to the brunette's still form. The small teen placed a hand on Yoh's shoulder and shook it gently. "Yoh-kun, come on! We have to get going!" The shaman groaned sleepily, mumbling incoherent phrases before turning over. Manta smiled and sighed. "What am I going to do with you, huh?"

Kagome cupped her warm cheeks as she came back to reality. "Manta-kun, I think that role suits you perfectly~" She told her friend with a cheeky smile.

Manta shot her a deadpanned look while replying dryly, "Whatever you just imagined, kill it with fire." He then grinned widely and added, "Besides, if there's anyone who fits that type of role, it's you."

The girl blanched at the suggestion. She raised a hand while stating bluntly, "No way. Taking care of a guy like Yoh-kun is way too much work." Her blue eyes lit up as the topic of their conversation began dragging his feet across the street, "Speak of the devil!"

With demonic speed, Manta's head snapped as he turned a death glare at Yoh. The brunette's eyes were droopy with a sleepy haze. His shoulders slumped and he swayed like a drunk as he walked. "Dammit!" The blond boy swore as he hastily ran towards and took a tight grip on the taller boy's wrist. "You kept us waiting long enough! Move your ass!"

"Oh, good! We can—!" Kagome's optimistic statement was cut short when Manta dashed past her while dragging a half-asleep Yoh behind him. " _Hey_!" The girl huffed and glared at her friends' backs. "Don't leave me behind!" She called after them as she began her own sprint.

"No more stargazing if you can't wake up in the morning!" Manta chastised as they ran.

Yoh whined out in a sleepy voice, "What's with you, Manta? I keep trying to sleep but you keep shouting…" In his sleep-deprived haze, the Asakura did not notice Manta glowering at him from over his shoulder.

"ALL THREE OF US ARE GOING TO BE LATE BECAUSE OF YOU!" The blond boy seethed.

"You should probably watch what you say right now, Yoh-kun," Kagome suggested from beside them.

"I wanna go home and sleep," Yoh groaned. "I have a bad feeling about today," he said.

The priestess gasped when she was suddenly hit by a strange, foreboding feeling. In their respective haste and half-consciousness, her friends did not notice that she had abruptly stopped running. _'I have a bad feeling too!'_ She thought as she looked left and right. It felt like they were being watched. Her eyes suddenly landed on a billboard that hung above an alcohol shop that her friends were rapidly approaching.

Kagome was going to question her sanity for feeling suspicious of an inanimate object. But suddenly, the sign creaked as it began to wiggle. "Manta-kun, Yoh-kun! Watch out!" She cried out. Her body acted on its own as she lurched forward.

With a speed that shocked even herself, the girl raced down the sidewalk. She tackled her friends with enough force to send all three tumbling forward. Not a second later, the billboard crashed to the ground, landing on the spot where the dragged Yoh would have been. A crowd of passersby immediately gathered around the ruckus and dispersing cloud of dust.

"Those kids were almost crushed!" A woman pointed out as a worker from the liquor shop emerged from inside the premises. She then averted her eyes when she noticed how the girl was sprawled out on top of the boys.

Kagome groaned as she used her elbows to push herself off of her friends. She hovered about them, rubbing her aching ankle. "You two okay?" the girl asked as she continued nursing the set of joints. She looked down at the boys below her. Both were lying flat on their backs beneath her. Manta's face mouth was ajar and his eyes were swirling with dizziness while Yoh's face was scrunched up in pain. After releasing a moan, his eyelids fluttered before opening, allowing him to stare up into Kagome's concerned orbs.

"Y-Yo…" He greeted her with bulging eyes and a sheepish smile.

"Yo yourself," She chuckled before attempting to stand, her arms tentatively spread out at angles to test and keep her balance. "Oof!" She squeaked when her ankle protested against the weight and sent her collapsing into a squatting pose.

Yoh immediately sprung into action and was at her side. "You okay? Let me see!" He noticed how the girl reached for her right ankle. Without a second thought, the boy removed her shoe and peeled her white knee-high sock down. He was not surprised at the sight of the darkened, tender skin. "It's a little bruised, but it looks alright," he sighed then smiled.

Despite the circumstances, Kagome could not help but feel reassured by Yoh's relieved smile. "It's good to know that I'm friends with such a good doctor, Yoh-sensei~" She then looked over at Manta when he finally recovered from his daze and sat up. "Looks like Manta-kun is alright too."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," The boy added as he got to his feet and looked over at his friends. His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of Yoh casually leaned in close to Kagome, holding the edges of her sock between pinched fingers and revealing the length of her leg. "Y-Yoh-kun, you pervert!" He squeaked while burying his face within his face.

Yoh blinked before releasing his grip on the garment. He scratched the back of his head and opened his mouth to clarify his innocence, only to be cut off by Kagome's cry of, "I told you, taking care of a guy like Yoh-kun is way too much work!"

The shaman flinched at the statement. He narrowed his eyes while throwing suspicious glances between his two friends. "What have you two been talking about behind my back?!"

Amidamaru, who had been quietly watching the exchange between the young teens, finally smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite the light atmosphere between the group, the presence that hid in the shadows did not go unnoticed by the priestess.

After reassuring that they were fine to a few concerned adults, the trio continued their journey to school. But not before Yoh squatted down in front of Kagome with his hands ready to receive her. "Eh?" The girl shrunk away. "What are you doing?"

"You can't even stand on that ankle, right?" The shaman asked. "I might as well be a gentleman and carry you to school," he explained with a grin that Kagome could not help but find a bit cheeky.

"Gentleman? A lax guy like you?" Manta asked while looking at Kagome.

They shared a shrug before the girl replied, "I guess anything is possible."

"Some friends you are…"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Manta had not checked his watch or even mentioned the time since the incident. A rather large, disgruntled faculty member was waiting for them and other tardy students at the closed iron gates. He scowled and crossed his arms at the sight of them. "Well, what do we have here? I didn't know that delinquents came in sets of three these days," the man said in a grumpy voice. His eyes landed on the girl being carried on the taller boy's back. "And what's with you? Is this kid your little whipping boy or something?" He asked sharply.

Kagome blushed but Yoh's mouth was quicker than hers. The boy sobbed out with waterfall tears streaming down his cheeks, "S-Sensei, it's awful! Taking care of her is too much work!"

"Hey!" She shrieked before pulling on the boy's cheek. "Take that back! You're the one who—!" Her rebuttal was drowned out by the man's deep, bellowing laughter.

"W-Welcome to adulthood, kid!" The man's intimidating demeanor was completely gone as he slapped his knees. Kagome and Manta sweatdropped as the man fell to pieces at his own joke.

After Yoh and the man exchanged a couple of pleasantries and grins, the trio was let inside of the school grounds without being written up, much to Manta's surprise. He had heard horror stories of the punishments that tardy students faced. He sent a grateful smile up to Yoh as they entered through the main doors, "I guess even a guy like you can be charming."

"Well," Yoh paused while pointing down the hallway. "I'm going to take Kagome-chan to the infirmary. You can go on ahead, Manta," he explained with a smile.

Much to their surprise, Manta shook his head negatively, "We've come together this far. I might as well see this whole thing through." He then blushed a bit while scratching his cheek, "Besides, all for one…"

Kagome's eyes lit up as the expression. She beamed down at Manta, "And one for all~"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"We actually made it in time for the tests," Yoh stated while pulling his shirt over his head. "I hope that Kagome-chan will be alright for hers. It's only a bruised ankle, but still."

Manta nodded as he got changed, "Yeah, we were lucky. I heard that sign keeps falling no matter how many times they fix it."

That statement caught Yoh's attention. "It keeps breaking?" He rubbed his chin while looking thoughtful, "Well, that sounds troublesome…" He muttered to himself.

"You should be more troubled by the kendo test!" Manta chastised. "This school emphasizes academics _and_ sports so you have to do well!" He warned his friend.

Yoh gave his signature grin and phrase, "Don't worry. It'll work out somehow!" The brunette snickered at his friend's skeptical expression…

Ten minutes later, the referee announced Yoh's swift, flawless victory over his classmate. Manta's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sight, "A-AMIDAMARU?!"

Yoh was grinned and folded his arms proudly as his spirit explained, "A samurai must repay his debt to his lord, so I shall follow Yoh-dono wherever he goes."

"I've made a lot of allies at this school too!" The shaman bragged while gesturing to the group of spirits that congregated around him. The color drained from Manta's face as Yoh introduced each other, "There's Suzuki, the top student who committed suicide from being bullied. Kobayashi, the track team captain who got hit by a car during a marathon. Ashida, the artist who died of sleep deprivation and Noriko the pianist who died of natural causes during her recital." The brunette grinned confidently, "With these guys around, I'll be fine no matter what happens!"

Manta could not help his outburst. He balled up his fists, "You coward!" The grin was wiped from Yoh's face. "These tests were made to test your own knowledge and power! You can't just rely on others to take them for you!"

"Huh? But my goal is to become a professional shaman," Yoh explained with a straight-face. He was back to grinning as he surmised, "It doesn't matter if I'm good at those other things. I'm going to keep practicing my skills for my true profession."

Manta huffed and crossed his arms, "Humph! You're lazier than I thought! Don't use being a shaman as an excuse for letting others do your work!" He shot the brunette a glare, "I'm going to watch Kagome-chan's test, I bet _she's_ doing it on her own!"

The blond boy then stomped away while grumbling to himself about how disappointed he was, unaware that Yoh and Amidamaru were casually following him to the girls' half of the large gymnasium. Manta stood to the side. His eyes lit up at the sight of Kagome being helped over to the archery testing station.

It was not long ago that the girl had injured her ankle, and yet, she was still smiling and chatting happily with the girl who had her arm slung over her shoulder. _'Yoh-kun should take a page out of her book,'_ Manta thought as he watched his friend and their classmate discuss something briefly before the helper released her hold and backed away.

"Wow," Yoh breathed as he leaned against the wall next to Manta, causing the blond jump in surprise. "She's really going for it. If I were her, I'd just sleep in the nurse's office."

"Of course you would," Manta replied dryly. His eyes never left the girl as she examined the different types of bows displayed on their mantles. He was expecting Kagome to choose the recurve bow that the most beginners flocked to. Her eyes landed on the traditional Yumi bow, which caught the attention of the spectators. She raised her hand but then hesitated.

"I see," Amidamaru hummed while crossing his arms. "It's natural for Kagome-sama to feel attracted to the Yumi bow as a priestess," he pointed out. "If she received any traditional training, it would be with that type of bow."

Manta nodded slowly. He never thought of it that way, but it made sense. "But why if she's trained with that type of bow, why does she seem so nervous?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, I'm afraid," the samurai admitted before he looked down at his master. Yoh's eyes never left the girl, whose hand was trembling a bit as she looked between the recurve bow and the Yumi.

The whispers of the onlookers did not go unheard by the shaman. Kagome then lowered her head as her arms fell to her side. She almost looked defeated and lost. Manta was both puzzled and concerned as he watched his friend struggle with something that he could not place his finger on. "Is she going to be okay? Maybe she isn't feeling well after all," the blond wondered aloud.

Yoh then cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the girl, surprising everyone within the vicinity. "Kagome-chan, don't worry! Just be yourself and do what you're good at! Do whatever you want to!"

The priestess turned surprised eyes to her friends.

Manta's eyes widened at the sight of her face. He had not realized that she was feeling so low. It was at that moment that he realized that there were still things that he did not know about his friends—both of them.

Manta looked up at Yoh's closed-eyed grin. _'Maybe, he's onto something after all,'_ the blond thought before he broke out into his own grin. The shorter boy turned his beaming face to Kagome and followed Yoh's lead. "That's right!" He added in. "As long as you get the job done, we're proud of you!"

Kagome's melancholic face turned into a small smile. She nodded to them and then grabbed the Yumi bow. Within a matter of seconds, the girl got into the proper posture for her size and style of bow. The spectators quieted down as they watched the transfer student with anticipation.

The practice arrow was sent flying across the range, right into the center of the target.

Kagome nearly jumped in surprise at the roar of the boys and the squeals of the girls. She smiled timidly as she surrounded by her enamored and impressed classmates. "Higurashi-chan, that was amazing! Where did you learn to shoot like that?!" The girl who helped her over to the station asked.

"W-Well…" She blushed lightly as she was bombarded with more questions. She sent a helpless look over to her friends. Her blue eyes pleaded for them to come over and rescue her. To her dismay, Yoh and Amidamaru merely grinned and offered her a thumbs-up while Manta cupped his hands and stared at her with starry-eyes. _'You guys are useless…'_ She thought with a secret smile.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Are you sure that you're okay to walk on your own already?" Manta asked the girl next to him.

Kagome smiled appreciatively and nodded, "Yeah! I spent most of the school day resting in the infirmary. It feels a lot better." She then looked over her shoulder at the samurai spirit trailing behind them, "And what's with you? I thought you were going to follow Yoh-kun wherever he goes."

"Normally I would but my Lord has tasked me with escorting you two to safety," Amidamaru informed them, his eyes narrowing as they approached the alcoholic shop from this morning.

"I see," She replied. "He must be pretty worried about us…" She stated while touching her fingertips together and forming a triangle with her hands. Manta did not notice the soft smile on her face.

"Hmph," Manta huffed a bit. "He's so clumsy, he should be more worried about himself!"

"Clumsy?" The girl blinked. "I mean, I know that he's lazy, but clumsy? In what way?" She asked curiously.

The blond linked his hands behind his head while replying, "I don't know but when we were changing for kendo, I noticed that his body was covered in cuts and scars."

Before she could ponder about what that meant, Kagome was overcome with the same feeling from this morning. Her senses were screaming that they were in danger. "Hold on a sec!" She grabbed Manta by the shoulder and pulled him back.

Just like earlier, a second later, the billboard came crashing to the ground where Manta would have been standing. The boy's jaw dropped as he looked at Kagome, "You really are a priestess, aren't you?!"

Kagome would have laughed if she had not looked up and seen an angry spirit glaring down at them. It was humanoid in shape with a long, boxy head that ended in spikes and unnaturally long limbs. It crouched on top of the liquor's shop roof as it glowered down at them, as if it had some sort of vendetta. "It's finally shown itself," The girl stated.

Manta followed her line of sight and looked up. He jumped back several meters, "W-WHAT THE HELL IS _THAT_?!" He shouted in panic while pointing up at the entity.

"It's an evil spirit who's possessed that sign," The samurai replied while taking out his sword. "This one is a self-bound spirit who is attached to this place. Stand back, I'll take care of him."

Manta took cover behind Kagome's leg as the spirit's scowl deepened, the corners of its mouth showing oversized human teeth. "Do…" it suddenly growled in a guttural voice. "DO IT!" It shouted before leaping into the air with its arm drawn back. "DO IITTTTTT!"

"DO _WHAT_?!" Manta shouted as his grip on Kagome's leg tightened.

Amidamaru rushed in front of his wards. He raised up his sword and blocked the ghostly arm before it could touch them. He grunted as the raging entity began pushing him back.

"Self-bound…" Manta whispered. "So it used to be a human…"

"Do...Do…" The spirit growled once again as it glared at Amidamaru with nothing but unbridled rage. "DO IT!" The spirit used its free arm to slash down onto the samurai's shoulder, causing him the reel back in pain.

"Amidamaru-sama, are you alright?!" Kagome shouted from the side.

The samurai placed a hand to his shoulder and winced. This was the first time in six-hundred years that he felt any semblance to physical pain. "Yes, I'm fine for now," the spirit replied while raising his sword in a defensive stance. "The problem is that a battle between spirits is not determined by technique or physique, but the strength of the spirits' emotions…"

Kagome frowned as she pointed out, "And this spirit...it became evil _because_ of the intensity of its negative emotions. A pure spirit like Amidamaru-sama...can't…" Her eyes fell downcast.

Manta was taken aback by the defeat in the girl's voice. He looked up at her and asked, "You're a priestess, right?! Isn't there anything that you can do to stop it!?"

The girl shook her head slowly, "I can't… I haven't...I haven't trained for things like this…"

Amidamaru gasped when the spirit suddenly sidestepped him and charged at Kagome and Manta, "Do it! Do it! DO IIIIIITTTTTT!" Kagome raised her arms to protect her face as the spirit closed in on them. "DO—!"

"You mean this, right?" Yoh's voice suddenly asked nonchalantly. Everyone, including the angry spirit, froze and turned to see the young shaman walking toward them with a bucket in his right hand. "Look, I brought some white paint with me."

"Yoh-kun!/Yoh-dono!" The shaman's friends cried out in unison.

"Do it…?!" The spirit seemed just as surprised at his appearance.

"You're a real troublesome guy, you know that?" Yoh sighed as he strolled over to the spirit. "I had to ask all of the people and spirits around here to find out what happened," He told the spirit as he finally stood in front of it.

"Do Do DO IT!" The spirit bellowed while reeling its arm back and slashing the boy's cheek with enough force to turn his head. Manta and Kagome gasped at the sight of blood seeping from the laceration.

"Don't worry," Amidamaru told them. "Normally humans and spirits cannot touch each other. But by allowing the spirit to touch him, he lets it know that he is a shaman…"

"But what is he planning to do with a bucket of paint?!" Manta still questioned with concern as the spirit continued glaring down at Yoh, who did not back down even after being struck.

"A year ago, you were painting this billboard," The shaman explained in a low voice. "You reached for the white paint, but lost your balance and fell off your ladder and onto the road...right in front of a truck. It happened so quickly."

Kagome and Manta silently watched in awe as the spirit went quiet and it lowered its arm. It seemed fixed on Yoh's word as he retold its tale. "You were always proud of your work, so you became unhappy that the billboard remained, despite being unfinished," Yoh reached up with his left hand and wiped the blood from his cheek. He then looked the spirit in the eye and stated, "After trying to reach out for help, you became what you are now. It's my job to help people like you…"

Manta could not help but remember how he exploded at and berated Yoh earlier. The Yoh standing between him and the angry spirit was not the same grinning fool that he was in school. He was a person who was so passionate about his profession that he was willing to put himself in harm's way for it. _'That means...those scars…'_

"So I'll let you use my body, Kanta the signmaker," Yoh finished as he held the bucket of paint out in front of him. "So how about it? Want to finish what you started?"

' _This feeling...what is this...?'_ The priestess thought as she placed a hand to her chest. Her blue eyes were wide and sparkling as the angry spirit transformed back into its human form, a man in bloody overalls and a baseball cap. The spirit looked bewildered but… A single stream of tears fell from his eyes as he stared at Yoh.

Kanta the signmaker also looked so emotionally moved…

Thus, Kanta used Yoh's body to finally finish the billboard that was left untouched due to his untimely death. Afterward, there were no reports of the sign mysteriously falling…and Manta and Yoh reconciled over their small spat.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The next day was relatively peaceful and uneventful, besides the sprint that they had to make to school after Yoh almost made them late again. The chime of the mid-day lunch bell resounded and Yoh was quick to awaken from his nap from the welcoming sound. "Finally, my favorite class!" The brunette grinned as he stood up and went over to Manta's desk. "Wanna hit up the cafeteria with me? We better hurry if we want the good stuff!"

Manta smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry after today's lessons so I need something filling." He then turned around in his seat to look at Kagome, "We'll meet you in the courtyard as soon as we can, okay?"

They would have invited the girl, but she had a habit of bringing home-made lunches to school. They did not know if home-made lunches were what she was used to, or if she was just trying to save money. Either way, they saw no need to make her suffer through the stifling crowd of students with them.

"Actually," Kagome reached into her backpack and pulled out a pastel blue sack. The girl smiled as she announced, "I made lunch for all three of us today, if that's okay."

Yoh and Manta exchanged surprised looks before Manta smiled appreciatively, "Well, if you went through all of the trouble then I'd happily be obliged~"

Yoh added in with a wide grin, "Same here. It sure beats fighting people for scraps!"

The two boys then quickly huddled together, away from the cheerful Kagome's ears. They threw each other deeply worried looks. Manta whispered, "I've got a bad feeling about this somehow…"

Yoh nodded in agreement, his face unusually serious and somewhat fearful, "I know what you mean. I've seen situations like this in manga too often."

"The one where an innocent girl presents her friends with amazing-looking food and it turns out to be terrible?" Manta asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Uh huh, this trope fits Kagome perfectly. She's beautiful, smart, and athletic," Yoh whispered behind his hand. "Her weakness must be the culinary arts."

"But no matter how bad it is, just smile and say something nice," Manta suggested.

Yoh nodded once again, "Yeah. And if you die, I can add you to my spirit allies."

"DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT!" Manta shouted, causing Yoh to stumble back.

Kagome blinked innocently while looking up at Amidamaru, "What was _that_ about?"

Amidamaru hummed as he replied vaguely, "Two warriors forging a battle plan…"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Yoh and Manta watched with dread as Kagome hummed while spreading a pink floral blanket out on the grass. Everything seemed so perfect— _too_ perfect. She patted the blanket and smiled prettily, gesturing for them to join her. The girl even pulled out three travel mugs.

The boys looked at each other before nodding in silent agreement. Their hands shook as they gingerly removed the top of their decorative bento boxes. The bright light that seeped out of the boxes caused even more suspicion. "Oh, wow! It looks amazing!" Yoh said aloud, causing Kagome's smile to brighten.

"Just as I suspected…" Manta added in a mutter as he stared down at the sparkling spread. Inside of each box was a delicious, balanced-looking meal. There were three rice balls molded into the shape of a cat's head with pieces of nori added to form their adorable facial features. There were other staple foods: slices of a sweet rolled omelet, deep-fried pork cutlets, a colorful summer salad complete with cherry tomatoes, and strawberries cut out into the shape of stars.

The meal definitely looked too good to be true, especially from someone their age. Yoh and Manta looked at Kagome's beaming face. She looked like an angel as she spread her arms out and offered, "Well, don't be shy! Dig in! I put my heart and soul into these lunches~!"

Yoh closed his eyes as a solemn expression appeared on his face. "So, this is it…" He whispered while pulling his chopsticks apart. "This, too, is a shaman's duty…" He said while grabbing a slice of pork cutlet between the sticks.

' _Yoh-kun, I was all wrong about you,'_ Manta thought with teary eyes. He began to hiccup as he watched his friend take a large bite of the battered meat. The blond knew that it was all over. The way that Kagome's entire face lit up with excitement… the way that Yoh went quiet but his eyes doubled in size… "Yoh-kun, I'm sorry!" He suddenly cried out. "It should have been m—eh?!"

To his surprise, the shaman did not meet his maker. Instead, the brunette went in for seconds and thirds back-to-back. "Kagome-chan," he said between bites. "Sorry for doubting you! This is _amazing_ , like a little piece of heaven!"

Kagome blushed prettily while rubbing the back of her head, "Aw, shucks—Wait, you doubted me?" Yoh was able to ignore her death glare as he was too enamored with the meal in front of him.

Manta, on the other hand, gulped but tried to play it off with a twitching grin. He pulled his chopsticks apart and immediately reached for an omelet slice. With Yoh's reaction as a green light, the blond boy placed the entire slice into his mouth. With his eyes closed, he began masticating the egg… A few moments later, his eyes shot open wide like Yoh's. He threw a shocked look at Kagome, "H-he's right! It really is like a little piece of heaven!"

The girl huffed, pouting a bit, "What did you expect? I wouldn't cook for you if I didn't have confidence in my ability." She then removed the lid of her thermos and poured herself a portion of tea. She breathed in the aroma and lifted it to her lips.

"Well, it's just that you seem so perfect," Yoh admitted as he sampled an omelet slice that made him shiver in delight.

"Yoh-kun said himself that no one could be pretty, smart, athletic, _and_ good at cooking," Manta explained, unaware of how the girl blushed from the compliments. "But you sure proved us wrong."

"Hmph," Kagome smiled proudly, folding her arms over her chest. "Well, maybe that'll teach you to have more faith in me next time."

"Kagome-chan, I swear, you're going to make an amazing wife someday," Yoh grinned as he finished his lunch and shamelessly reached for hers, only to welp when the girl slapped his hand away.

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

After more laughter and excited chatting about their upcoming visit to Higurashi shrine, the trio finished their lunches. They happily fooled around, waiting for the lunch hour to end. All seemed right in the world until the voice of an older male suddenly howled, "GET OUTTA MY FACE!" It was followed by a crunch and pained yelp.

"Eh?!" The trio froze on the spot and looked over to the source of the commotion.

Across the courtyard, there was an overweight upperclassman with long hair and broken glasses on the ground. He held his arms out defensively and cried out in fear, "Wh-What did I do?!"

Standing above him menacingly was another upperclassman. This one was tall with spiky, blond hair and well-toned, muscular arms. He held up his clenched fists and hissed through clenched teeth, "Shut it, chubby! Or do you want me to hit you again?!"

"Manta, who's that?" Yoh asked curiously. He had been attending this school for a couple of weeks now. Due to it being a private school, it was not an everyday occurrence to witness the spectacle of obvious physical violence.

The blond sighed and mumbled, "He's at it again. That's Tatsuhi Tobinari, year nine. He was turned from a delinquent to a boxer by Gushi Kenji—" Manta flinched when Tobinari kicked his victim in the stomach. "Gushi Kenji was a great boxer known for his afro and unique fighting style." Manta and Yoh huddled together to whisper to each other, not noticing how Kagome silently got to her feet. "After Gushi Kenji died in an accident, his gym was closed down and Tobinari went back to being a delinquent."

Yoh rubbed his chin, "Hmm...a professional boxer, huh? That sounds useful."

Manta sweatdropped, "You really have a one-track mind, huh?" He looked over to where Kagome was sitting and his eyes bulged when he realized that she was not there. "Yoh-kun, where did Kagome-chan go?!" He asked in a panic while looking left and right.

"Ah," Yoh blinked while raising a finger towards the direction of the commotion, where a crowd of onlookers gathered to watch. "Isn't that her over there?" The brunette asked.

"Dammit!" Manta shouted. "What does she think she's doing?!"

Meanwhile, Kagome scowled as she pushed and dodged her way through the crowd. She placed her hands on her hips when Tobinari mercilessly kicked his fallen victim in the butt. The poor guy was crouched in a protective position with his arms covering his head. "Ahem!" She cleared her throat. "Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?!" The girl shouted.

"Hmmm?" Tobinari turned to raise an eyebrow at her. "You got a problem with me, girly?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Kagome sassed. "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to torment the other students, especially ones who are weaker than you?! Does picking on the weak make you feel good about yourself?!"

"Haaaaaah?" The delinquent removed his foot from his victim's buttocks. He shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered over to the girl, "I dare you to say that to my face, little girl."

Meanwhile, Manta's jaw dropped at the turn of events. It was one thing to witness random students being beaten up by Tobinari, but it was another thing if the victim turned into his _friend_! The boy looked to Yoh, "Yoh-kun, we've got to rescu—ah?!" He blinked when he noticed that Yoh was no longer next to him. "HOW DO THEY KEEP DOING THAT?!"

"Well?" Tobinari asked as his face was but a few centimeters away from Kagome's. He glared down at her and challenged, "Go ahead. Say that again if you're so bra—."

**_[SLAP!]_ **

The crowd went silent.

For a moment, Tobinari just stood there with his head turned to the side. His eyes wide, mouth ajar, and cheek reddened. He slowly raised a hand to his stinging cheek and almost winced at its tenderness.

Kagome lowered her arm but continued glaring at the upperclassman. "So, how did it feel?" She asked. "I bet whatever pain you're feeling, the people who you've hit had it ten times worse."

Yoh suddenly appeared behind Tobinari, "While we're all friends here, there's something I wanna talk about!" He gave the older teen a chummy pat on the shoulder.

The sound of the Asakura's voice seemed to snap Tobinari from his stupor. "Eh?" He asked with clenched teeth. "What the hell do you want?" He glared at the younger boy from over his shoulder.

Kagome sweatdropped while Manta's heart almost stopped. Yoh spread his arms out wide as he explained, "I'm interested in your deceased teacher! Can you tell me about him?!"

Without warning, Tobinari turned and punched Yoh in the jaw, sending the smaller boy crashing to the ground. Kagome gasped and ran to his side, "Yoh-kun! Are you alright?!" She helped him into an upright position as he placed a hand on his swelling cheek.

"Tch," The upperclassman glared down at the two of them. "I see how it is," he mumbled before spitting on the ground. "I'll let you off with a warning this time," he told the brunette before shoving his hands back into his pockets and walking away.

Ten minutes later, our triad of heroes was in the infirmary for the second day in a row. Yoh was flinching with teary eyes as Kagome gently held an ice pack against his cheek. "You two are insane," Manta said with a sigh. "You're lucky that you got off easy."

Kagome scrunched up her face, "You call _this_ easy?"

Yoh pouted and added in, "I don't really think that he's a bad guy."

Amidamaru then appeared, rubbing his chin, "I was thinking the same thing."

"A-Amidamaru!" Manta jumped back, shaking at the sight of the samurai ghost, _'I-I might not ever get used to that.'_ "So, you don't think he's bad?"

"I can understand the heart of a fighter…" The samurai replied. "I can still see the fighting spirit burning in his eyes," he explained as his expression became sullen.

Kagome huffed, "Hmph! Fighting spirit or not, I refuse to let him do what he wants! I'll give him what for!" The girl's free hand balled into a fist as a fiery aura overtook her.

Manta shrunk away from the girl as Yoh gasped at his sudden, brilliant idea, "I know! Let's see what we can find out about him!" He grinned up at Amidamaru.

The samurai grinned back and nodded enthusiastically, "Good idea!"

Manta then shrugged, "Good _luck_. Tobinari has no friends or family."

"Let's see if we can find the ghost of that boxing champion," Yoh suggested. "He was probably the closest person to him so he must know something."

"Gushi Kenji's ghost?!" Manta's jaw dropped. "Are you insane?!"

Kagome raised a finger and suggested, "It makes sense. His mentor probably can't move on with the way his student has become. He's probably tormented about it."

Yoh placed his hands on his hips as he hastily got to his feet, "Alright, let's do this!" He looked to his partner and commanded, "Amidamaru, find out whatever you can from the spirits!" The samurai nodded. "The three of us will go check out the boxing ring!"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Tobinari spent that evening the same way that he spent it every day since his mentor had passed...beating up anyone who dared to piss him off. But no matter what he did, no matter who he faced and conquered, nothing filled the void inside of him. No matter how much pain he inflicted on others, no matter how many times he established his strength, his pain did not stop. Not even sending an entire gang fleeing for their lives was enough to satisfy him.

His master's once-prosperous gym was now a shell of what it once was. The leftover equipment was dusty or knocked over. Everything was crackling and covered with cobwebs. Despite being the place where his master taught him how to live, there was nothing that remained to remind him of his teacher. Once Gushi Kenji died, he took everything dearest to Tobinari with him.

The delinquent balled up his fist and punched the one last poster of his teacher on the wall. "DAMMIT!" He shouted at the image of the boxing champion. "You were my reason to live! You were my dream—I lived to surpass you!" He cried out. "With you gone, what do I do!? Where can I go?!"

"Your place is here," an unfamiliar voice suddenly told him.

Tobinari gasped and turned around. Suddenly, the boxing ring was illuminated to reveal the underclassman from earlier today. "Tch, you again," He hissed with distaste. "What the hell do you want?" His eyes narrowed even more when he spotted a short boy that he did not recognize and the girl who slapped him in the corner, controlling the light system.

Yoh was sitting on a stool in the far right corner of the ring. He wore Gushi Kenji gym shorts and a pair of plump, red boxing gloves. He smirked as he replied, "I've come here to fight you. I am Gushi Kenji reborn."

"Tch," Tobinari glared at Yoh. "There's no way that a scrawny brat like you can be my master's reincarnation!" he shot back. He looked the boy over and mentally shook his head. This had to be some, random ordinary child.

Kagome fist-pumped from beside Manta and called out, "Why don't you fight him and find out?!"

Manta sweatdropped and asked nervously, "Kagome-chan, why are _you_ wearing boxing gloves too?"

Yoh then stood up and merged with Gushi Kenji's spirit ball. Tobinari's eyes widened as the child that he previously dismissed, raised his fists, and suddenly took on his master's signature fighting pose.

Rage.

Tobinari could not stop his rage as he tore his shirt off, "Anyone can mimic that fighting pose…" He hastily jumped in the ring, raising his bare fists, "DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY MASTER!" He shouted while jabbing the younger teen in his other cheek. He expected the smaller boy to tumble to the ground like earlier, but he did not.

Yoh merely grinned and looked up at him, "That was nothing. If that's all you got, then there's no way you can match me."

It was exactly what Kenji Gushi used to say.

"B-BASTARD!" The blond shouted as he unleashed a barrage of punches at the child. Kagome watched Yoh easily dodge and deflect the jabs with a satisfied smile. Tobinari's eyes widened as Yoh knocked the wind out of him with a punch to his stomach.

Manta's jaw dropped as he cheered, "T-that's it! Dodging a hail of jabs then catches with a hook! This is exactly how Gushi fights! I still don't get how but he can copy the abilities of the spirits he invokes!"

The match was quickly decided.

"You bastard!" Gushi yelled from within Yoh. "After all that I've taught you, you're still just a pampered—" Tobinari watched in shock as the child once again took on his master's movements. "BRAT!"

He was helpless to defend himself from his master's signature move. _'S-Soul hook…!'_ Was Tobinari's thought before Yoh struck him like lightning. Tobinari's head was spinning. But in that instant, before he lost consciousness, he saw the image of his beloved master, grinning down at him…

The trio thought that night would be the last that they saw of the upperclassman. But the next day, they were surprised to find Tobinari waiting for them at the school gate. "H-He's here!" Manta stiffened as the upperclassman stopped leaning against the gate as they approached.

"I've been waiting for you," Tobinari greeted coolly with his arms crossed.

Yoh grinned and raised his hand cheerfully, "Yo!"

"Tch, not you," The older teen grumbled as he pushed past the boys and walked up to the girl behind them. Kagome blinked when he got down on one knee and took hold of her hand. "Little miss, I must know your name…"

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!" Manta shouted as he realized what was happening.

Yoh merely scratched his head and almost pouted with jealousy, "Huh, darn. I thought we had a real connection."

"Eh…" Kagome looked around, blushing deeply when people stopped stare at them like yesterday. It seemed like the more she wanted to blend in, the more she ended up standing out. "It's Higurashi," she stated. "Higurashi Kagome."

"Higurashi…" Tobinari repeated slowly. "Kagome-chan…" He looked up at her, his eyes steely and serious. "As I am now, I am unworthy of such a goddess. I will become the new champion of the boxing world, and then—" Kagome's eyes widened and her face went beet red as the older teen placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

Yoh and Manta jaws dropped.

They quickly scooped up the girl and high-tailed it to their classroom.

Word quickly spread that Tobinari ended his days as a delinquent and returned to the world of professional boxing under the name of "Gushi the Second".

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Afterschool, they found themselves at a nearby fast food restaurant. "Jeez, we've had a pretty busy week, haven't we?" Manta asked while dunking a french fry into his cup of ketchup. "I've never had such a noisy life till you guys came along," he raised a smile to his friends.

"You're very welcome!" Yoh snickered before taking a big bite of his burger.

"I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment," Kagome pointed out. She then went in for a french fry, but was interrupted by the desperate scream of a middle-aged woman who rushed into the building.

"FIRE!" She called out. "It's awful! There's a fire at the Chinese restaurant next door! Everyone, RUN!"

Needless to say, everyone rushed outside. And sure enough, the Chinese restaurant right next to the burger shop was set ablaze. The three teens stared up at the inferno with wide eyes. Many adults were shouting and scrambling about for solutions until the firefighters arrived.

"That fire is _HUGE_!" Manta screamed as his usual panic set it. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" The blond wanted to flee the scene, but was held back by Yoh grabbing onto his necktie.

"Hold on, Manta," Yoh stated calmly. "What if there are people still trapped in there?"

"So what if there are?!" Manta screamed back. "What if _I_ end dying here?!" He snapped.

"If you do die, then you can join with me," Yoh replied simply.

"Again with that?! You're so cold!" Manta shouted.

Kagome then stepped between her friends and said, "Simmer down, Manta-kun. I'm sure that we'll be alright." She then looked up at the roaring flames and said, "Yoh-kun is right. We can't leave just yet."

"There's the risk of someone dying in there becoming an evil spirit," Yoh stated before looking at his partner. "Will you scope it out for me, Amidamaru?" He asked.

"I'm on it!" The samurai replied as he shot into the building.

"A spirit can phase through all types of matter so he should be able to find out quickly," The shaman explained while looking at Manta's shocked face. A few moments later, the samurai emerged from the top of the building.

"Yoh-dono, there's no one inside but there are children on the roof!"

Kagome felt her heart drop at that proclamation. _'C-Children…?'_ She looked from the blazing fire up to the roof. She was sure that they were afraid and crying, but could not be heard over the raging flames below them.

"Amidamaru!" Yoh called up to his spirit once again. "Can you see the fire engine?! It's long and red!" The samurai nodded to his master and flew up higher to get a better vantage point.

He looked around in search of something that matched the description. Finally, his eyes landed on the long, red vehicle far out in the distance. Its path was blocked by traffic and panicked pedestrians. The samurai swiftly landed and told the teens the grim news, "It's no good. It won't make it in time."

"Guess I have no choice then," Yoh said as he ran over to a basin of water. "Ma'am, I'm going to borrow this!" The teen shouted to the owner of the restaurant. He gasped when Amidamaru grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the water.

"Yoh-dono, as your protector, I cannot allow you to go!" Amidamaru told him. "There is no safe passage through the roof. Therefore…" His eyes averted the side. The spirit was torn by guilt. Guilt from the surprised look on Yoh's face. And guilt from knowing that he was giving the children no chance to escape the fire.

But, if he had to choose between them and his master…

"What are you doing?" Yoh asked, narrowing his eyes and showing his partner anger for the first time. "We can't leave them alone. Doesn't it bother you just to sit back and watch them die?"

Kagome gasped when Amidamaru raised his voice at Yoh for the first time.

"OF COURSE IT DOES!" The samurai shouted back. "But it's still better than watching you die!"

This was the very first time that she had seen Amidamaru have an outburst like this one… Kagome looked at Yoh's surprised expression. _'Yoh-kun means so much to Amidamaru-sama...that's the bond of a shaman and their spirit…'_ She took a deep breath and nodded to herself.

She knew what she had to do.

There was a solution where Yoh would not have to be in danger and Amidamaru would not have to worry. The girl walked over to the duo and placed a hand over her pounding heart, "It's fine, I'll go."

"Kagome-sama?!" Amidamaru asked while turning his pained gaze to the girl's seemingly calm face. Despite the weight of what she was offering, the girl was smiling softly. Her eyes were sympathetic. "You can't!" He protested.

"It's fine as long as it's not Yoh-kun, right?" Kagome asked as she bent and lifted up the basin of water, which was surprisingly heavier than it looked. That question struck a chord within Amidamaru, Yoh, and Manta. "Amidamaru-sama, please guide me to the roof," She requested.

For once, Manta was completely speechless as he stared at Kagome's face.

With the golden light of the flames dancing across her skin, the girl seemed more beautiful now than ever. Even the water in her hands sparkled and glistened against the raging fire.

Yoh then smiled and placed a hand on top of her head, "Don't be silly." Before she had the chance to react, the shaman snatched the basin from her hands and turned it over his head, completely dousing himself in the water. "It's fine as long as it _is_ me," he told her while closing his eyes and grinning widely.

"Yoh-kun, you can't!" Kagome protested as she grabbed onto his soaked sleeve. "Amidamaru-sama would be torn if you got hurt!" She told him.

The shaman caught her off guard by chuckling, "Funny," he said between laughs. "Because that's how I'd feel if you got hurt." Her fingers lost their grip in that instant. The brunette then dashed into the building burning, leaving Kagome standing there stunned.

"Y-Yoh-kun, he ran into the fire!" Manta screamed while gripping his head.

Amidamaru looked down at his shaking hand before forming a fist. He swore to himself before flying in after his master. "Yoh-dono, I'm coming too!"

Kagome cupped her hands together and closed her eyes. _'As long as they're together, they'll be fine...right?'_ She asked herself. _'Please, God… I promise not to bother you again for a long time. Just, please… Please…'_

The seconds that flew by felt like minutes. The minutes felt like hours.

_'Please bring him back to me...'_

Manta's eyes widened when an explosion from inside thundered and shattered windows with a bursting fireball. "Damn! The flames are getting stronger and stronger!" An onlooker pointed out. "That kid that ran inside must be burning by now."

Manta felt his heart miss a beat.

He shook away the dreaded thought of never seeing Yoh's face again. "Yoh-kun! Amidamaru!" He shouted at the building. "Both of you, HANG IN THERE!" His shut eyes snapped open at the sound of a bang followed by the rush of raging water.

"I-It's the water tank on the roof!" A man in the crowd called out. "It ruptured somehow!"

Kagome's eyes opened and widened at the announcement. She looked up at the roof and spotted Yoh. He was surrounded by three small children, grinning triumphantly while gripping a metal pipe.

"I-It's Yoh-kun and Amidamaru!" Manta cheered with teary eyes. "They merged and burst the water tank!" He smiled widely up at his friend. "They did it! They really did it!" He shouted while throwing his arms into the air.

Meanwhile, the priestess stared up at the shaman. Her lips slightly ajar. It was strange. The fire was put out and everyone was safe.

And yet...her heart was still racing.

' _That must be it…!'_ Kagome gasped softly as a thought struck her. _'It's because he looks so cool!'_ Her surprised expression melted into a cheerful smile.

Manta was right. They truly did have a busy week. And all the while, Yoh had gone out of his way to help others.

Because that's what his true calling in life was...

_'Not just a priestess…'_ She told herself. She placed a hand over her chest and smiled wider when she and Yoh made eye contact.

' _I'm going to be a shaman, just like Yoh-kun!'_

That was the day that the Kagome who wanted to be a normal girl died...

and the new Kagome who yearned to walk the path of uncertainty began...


	4. Higurashi Shrine And The Lonely Soul  (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoh and Manta meet Kagome's family at Higurashi Shrine. Amidst all of the fun, Kagome is acting a bit strangely.

**RECAP**

This is the story of Higurashi Kagome.

Kagome was not as ordinary as she seemed to be.

She was as normal as a girl born into a long lineage of priests could be, at least.

People had always told her that she would be someone great, someone special, someone _extraordinary_...

But she decided that was something—a life, that she did not want for herself.

No. She never wanted that.

She never wanted to hear that.

...but that was then.

Suddenly, Kagome's life and opinions were changing without notice.

After moving to a small home in inner Tokyo, she met two boys who turned out to be just as strange as she was.

Kagome's first friend was Oyamada Manta: a human boy of small stature but with a big heart who carried around an even bigger encyclopedia.

Her second friend was Asakura Yoh: a seemingly standoffish boy who turned out to be a shaman with a strong sense of duty.

With the mysterious Yoh and the quirky Manta at her side, Kagome was finally able to acknowledge and talk about the supernatural and paranormal without fear of judgment or humiliation.

After meeting her new friends, the priestess began her strange yet ordinary life—an ordinary life where the paranormal and extraordinary would suddenly happen and shake things up. She found that she was living the best of both worlds.

Weeks fly by, and almost every day was a new adventure—an adventure where Yoh and Manta taught her new things about herself.

Recently, Kagome discovered that she admired the boy who was dedicated to his profession.

And she decided that she wanted to be like him, the person who she secretly admired.

This was the beginning of Kagome's new life—a life full of wonder and smiles.

Finally, Kagome had friends that were just as weird as she was… (If not weirder…)

It did not occur to her that for once in her life, she actually belonged.

* * *

**Higurashi Shrine And The Lonely Soul**

**(Part I)**

"… Yoh-kun," Manta stated dryly as his eye twitched. After wandering around a surprisingly lush, green arena for an hour, the boys finally reached a break in nature and found cement and pavement. "I think we're lost."

The brown-haired teen scowled while raising an eyebrow, "Think so?" He then brought the map closer to his face to re-examine it. Honestly, it was rather cute with its colored paths and landmarks. There were even hand-written notes about specific turns and points in the journey. "I guess it isn't wise to use a map Kagome-chan hand drew…" he mused while rubbing his chin.

Manta sweatdropped and mumbled sarcastically, "I could have told you that." He then looked up at Yoh and said, "Here, let me take a look at it."

The taller teen nodded and passed the colorful sheet of paper to Manta. The blond hummed to himself thoughtfully as he examined the map. It was cute, but crude. He took notice of the stick figures and lovingly scribbled notes littering the edges. He then looked around for any signs of the landmarks. Yoh watched curiously as Manta nodded and whispered a few "uh-huh"s as he looked at the map from three different angles.

The bookworm then crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder into a nearby waste bin, prompting Yoh to break into applause.

"It's useless," Manta stated, annoyed. He looked up at his friend and told him, "Call Kagome-chan on her cell and ask her for better directions."

Yoh groaned and Amidamaru appeared to silently chuckle at his partner's expense. "Can't you do it?" Yoh moaned back. "Haaa..." he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

Manta shook his head from side to side fiercely while raising his hands, as to say _'no'_ , "That means I'd have to use _my_ cell phone…"

The samurai spirit looked between their young faces and stated, "I don't see what the problem is. I think the cellular phone is a very convenient device."

Manta shot Amidamaru a skeptical look, "Would you use something like this?" The blond pulled a small, pink cellphone from his pocket. The phone was decorated in white kitten stickers and its matching kitten charm dangled as he held it up.

"Or _this_?" Yoh added with a glum tone and bowed head. He pulled a pastel blue cell from his jean pocket. It was adorned by pink bunny stickers and a matching keychain. "Just look at it, Amidamaru," he choked back a sob as he displayed his phone.

The ghost raised his hands and smiled nervously as he floated backward, away from the boys who were closing in with their phones held out towards him. "Do you think—" Manta began asking.

"Two boys carrying these around—" Yoh continued.

"Is really that convenient?" Manta and Yoh finished in unison.

Amidamaru's smile twitched a bit as he asked, "Could you not have declined Kagome-sama's gift then?" The samurai then sweatdropped when the boys proclaimed that there was no way that they could shoot their friend down when she looked so happy!

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"We should have known better than to wait for Kagome-chan to show up…" Manta moaned when his stomach growled for the fifteenth time within the past half-hour. "She's so late. Probably got lost again…" He mumbled into the tabletop.

The two teens were sitting on opposite ends of a booth at WacDonald's. Their heads and arms laying flat against the cool surface of the table…

They were starving.

"Yeah, but she said she would treat us to lunch…" Yoh grumbled miserably.

"I guess she really wanted to treat us after getting more money from her mom" Manta surmised. He lifted his head and banged it against the table in frustration. "But still—!" Before he could complain some more about his hunger, his vision went dark when two soft hands covered his eyes.

A familiar, feminine voice giggled from behind him and asked, "Guess who~?"

Manta blushed and pulled the hands away from his eyes so he could glare at Kagome, who responded with a widening smile. Yoh sighed then smiled too, "Speak of the devil."

"Where have you been?!" Manta barked at the girl. "Did you get lost, again?"

"Eh heh," Kagome laughed nervously and scratched her reddened cheek. "Actually, there's a logical explanation for me being late today. Here, I'll show you." Yoh and Manta sweatdropped when she magically pulled a sketchpad full of slightly crude, colorful drawings.

"At 10 A.M., I headed out of the house so I could make it here at 12..." Kagome told them, holding up the sketchpad. The first page had a colorful picture of chibi-Kagome walking down the street away from her house. Kagome flipped to the next page and continued her story, "I was halfway there when suddenly Godzilla emerged from the subway, tearing up the streets as he went on a rampage." This picture had chibi-Kagome and a crowd of other chibis panicking as Godzilla blew fire on a skyscraper.

"That's when I knew what I had to do…" Kagome explained gravely, before flipping to the next page. Chibi-Kagome had a serious expression on her face. "There, in front of a hundred people, I transformed into Sailor Mo—!"

"Why were you really late?" Manta asked in a deadpanned voice.

"...I went shopping," Kagome admitted while averting her eyes and poking her fingers together.

"Well, that makes sense~" Yoh beamed before suddenly collapsing to the table. His head made a dangerously loud thud.

"Ah! Yoh-kun!" Kagome and Manta shrieked in unison.

With X's for eyes, the shaman mumbled in a faint voice, "So weak… Please feed me…"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome walked toward their booth with a tray full of greasy, fried food. Tears of joy streamed down Yoh's face as his salvation arrived. Manta shook his head when the shaman clapped as Kagome placed the tray down as carefully as she could. "Here you go, guys," Kagome beamed while taking a spot next to Manta. "I bought extra to apologize for making you wait."

"You're an angel, Kagome-chan," Yoh said before reciting a quick prayer in thanks. He then looked at the spread before him and did not know where to start. There were nine cheeseburgers, three medium sodas, three medium fries, and three shakes and one strawberry sundae with nuts.

"Yeah, thanks. I thought I was a goner for a minute," Manta added, nodding as Kagome began unwrapping her burger. "I'm surprised that you made it all the way from the counter by yourself," He began his lunch by plucking a single salted French fry from one of three boxes and nibbling on it.

"What are you trying to say?!" Kagome asked with a pinched smile and twitching eyebrow.

Manta smirked teasingly and replied, "Nothing, nothing. You're just a little clumsy sometimes."

"Hmph!" Kagome huffed. "I am not! I'm as elegant as a priestess and shaman should be!"

Yoh licked his fingers after he finished off his burger. He smiled and said, as if remembering something, "Speaking of shamans…" He whispered as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out, he sat it on the table. It was small, black, and—.

"Isn't that a mortuary tablet?!" Manta and Kagome asked, gasping in disbelief.

"Those are meant to honor your ancestors' resting grounds!" Manta shouted as his jaw dropped.

Kagome laughed and imitated Manta by plucking a fry from one of the boxes and placing it between her lips. "I see that Yoh-kun is begging to be cursed."

Yoh laughed it off and told them, "It's okay, as long as it's him." Manta paled when Amidamaru suddenly appeared from within the tablet. His eyes were closed and his hands were held up in prayer position, "Eat with us, Amidamaru," the shaman told his partner.

"Thank you very much, Yoh-dono, and Kagome-sama," he said respectfully, before opening his eyes.

"Ami… damaru…" Manta twitched with a face as white as a sheet.

"Ah, Amidamaru-sama," Kagome began with a cheerful smile. "How are you?" she asked.

"I'm doing just fine, Kagome-sama," he replied, looking at the girl. "At this size, I can get around easily, and the tablet is very convenient."

Kagome laughed and nodded, "I'm so jealous that you two get along so well~ I hope that I can find a sweetheart like Amidamaru-sama."

"Mmhm," Yoh nodded and smiled. "We're not just partners. We're friends, so we like being around each other."

"See?" The ghost and the boy sang in unison, scooting closer to each other and beaming.

The priestess cupped her hands together and batted her eyelashes at the samurai, "Amidamaru-sama, forget about Yoh-kun~! You'd have a lot more fun with me!"

Yoh's body twitched. Kagome snickered at the shaman's reaction as he shot her an incredulous glare, "No way! Find your own buddy, you thief! Amidamaru, would never—!" He then looked at his blushing, bashful-looking partner who fiddled with his fingers, and deadpanned, "What's with that reaction?"

"We should probably drink the shakes before they melt," Manta suggested.

Yoh looked at Amidamaru and placed a shake in front of the samurai spirit. "Here, you can have mine," the shaman grinned.

"Oh yeah," Manta said out of the blue. "I see you have a shopping bag from the mall, what did you buy?" with his eyes on the paper bag resting at Kagome's side.

"Aha, right," the girl chuckled. "I bought gifts to celebrate our friendship~," she told them. Before either of the two boys could peek at what was inside the bag, Kagome grabbed it and placed it in her lap.

"I hope it wasn't something too expensive," Yoh stated. He was not one who desired expensive, materialistic things. It would be a pity if Kagome bought something that cost a lot of money for him, and he ended up with no use for it. "I'd rather have another one of your obento~"

_'Yoh-kun, you really do have a one-track mind…'_ Manta sweatdropped.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Yoh-kun," Kagome responded with a light wave of her hand. "I got these for a bargain—. No, you might as well have called it a steal!" She then pulled out three very girly cell phones and exclaimed excitedly, "Ta-Dah!" All three came in one plastic sealing and in bold red letters it read: TRIPLE FRIENDSHIP PACK!

"See?" she chirped. "There's one for all three of us! Aren't they the cutest phones you've ever seen?"

"Y-yeah…" Yoh pinched a smile. "They're pretty cute…but uh…" His brown eyes looked over to Manta for help.

The blond gladly spoke up. He crossed his arms and told her firmly, "There's no way I would ever use something like that in my entire life!"

Kagome blinked twice, slowly, as the information processed in her brain… Slowly the smile on her face faded away until her lips formed a pencil straight line. Her blue-gray eyes were now slanted. "So what you're telling me is that you refuse to accept my present?" she asked in a flat tone.

"E-Eh…" Manta instinctively shrunk away from the girl. "Well, that is—."

"You're taking it," The priestess stated. "One way, or another."

"But!" Manta tried protesting. His eyes fell on Yoh for help, but the shaman was quick to avert his eyes and whistle innocently. "Do something, Yoh-kun!"

"It can't be all that bad, can it?" Kagome asked with a slight tilt of her head. "I mean, I thought it would be nice to have them," she explained slowly. "This way, we could always communicate, even when we're far apart. Ya know?"

"I guess there's no helping it," Yoh sighed and smiled. "Right, Manta?"

Manta looked away from his friends to hide a blush and the small pout on his face. "A-as long as no one else sees me using it," he grumbled.

Kagome's face lit up as she practically ripped open the sealing that most people would need scissors to open. She looked at all three of the friendship cell phones and quickly decided which one would go to whom.

"Okay," she began. "I get this one," the girl announced as she set aside the white phone with brown puppies and a matching charm.

Manta's blood ran cold… He was hoping to get the white one.

"Yoh-kun," she said before handing him the pastel blue phone, "you get this one."

Lastly, Kagome placed the peach-pink phone in front of Manta and told him with a smile, "And this one is yours."

Manta's eyebrow twitched as he asked, "Why do I get the cutesiest one?"

The priestess chuckled and stated simply, "I just think it suits you the most."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Amidamaru slowly inched away from his partner and his friend while remembering their meeting with the young priestess the day before. "… Well," a cold bead of sweat ran down the side of the spirit's face. He wore a nervous smile while staring at the two boys. "You're right," he bowed his head in defeat. He gave up. He would never use such a thing in public…

"Anyway," Manta said, looking up at Yoh. "Hurry up and call her, it's really hot out here!"

Yoh slumped his shoulders and moaned, "But you have her on speed dial."

"Fine," the blond teen sighed. There was no arguing with Yoh. The heat was exhausting and pushing him to his limits. He wanted to hurry and make it to the shrine so he could relax. With the push of only two buttons, his cell phone called Kagome's. It rang several times until Kagome answered.

"Hello?" She asked.

Manta smiled and replied, "Hi Kagome-chan, it's me, Manta."

"Oh, hi," Kagome said as cheerfully as usual.

"Well, Yoh and I are—" Manta tried to explain their situation but Kagome interrupted him.

"Wait, wait, wait. Before you say anything, I have to tell you—"

"Eh?" Manta froze as she finished her sentence.

"I have missed your call. This is Kagome, leave me a message." Kagome's voice chirped.

Yoh stared at Manta with a curious look. "What's up, Manta?"

The short boy was stuck in stunned mode… And so was his face.

"What did she say?" Yoh pressed. "Manta? You in there?" The brunette asked while waving his hand over his friend's face.

"Damn it," Manta growled before hitting the two buttons again. After a few rings, Kagome answered.

"H-Hello," her voice was shaky, unlike her voicemails. Manta sighed with relief; he got through to the live Kagome this time.

"Hey, it's me," Manta replied. While he was relieved to hear her voice, he was also a bit unsettled by how off she sounded. For a moment, he wondered if he called at a bad time.

"Oh…" Kagome said, not surprised. She did not sound as bubbly as usual. There was a soft, almost sleepiness to her voice. "Manta… kun…" she whispered. Manta blinked, but said nothing. "I can feel you…" she told him. "You and Yoh-kun are close… Look for a huge set of stairs." With that said, the call ended abruptly.

"Is there something wrong, Manta-dono?" Amidamaru asked.

Manta placed his phone into his pants pocket and scowled as he tried to swallow down his concern. "She told me to look for a large staircase, but that's all," he informed them.

"Hmmm," Amidamaru hummed. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms as if he was going to think deeply or meditate. "That is pretty vague." Manta nodded a couple of times, agreeing with the samurai spirit.

"Not really," Yoh stated casually while pointing in front of them. "We're standing right in front of a large staircase."

"What?!" Manta asked with disbelief. All he saw was more forest and greenery in front of them… and all around them for that matter. "What are you talking about, Yoh-kun?"

Amidamaru looked in the direction that Yoh was pointed and squinted a bit… After a blink, he finally saw it. "I see! How very clever." He marveled at something that Manta could not see.

"I'm definitely missing something," Manta stated to himself.

Yoh turned Manta in the proper direction and told him, "Manta, I know you'll be able to see it. They're about ten meters away. Look past the forest… Look beyond what you see."

Manta sweatdropped at Yoh's instructions and mumbled, "Just because you're a shaman, doesn't mean you have to speak in metaphors."

"It is not a metaphor," Amidamaru told him. Manta sighed and frowned, he began concentrating. He squinted a bit for a moment… There was something weird but he still could not see anything…

"Wait!" The image of the forest disappeared in a flash and was replaced with a stone staircase overseen by a traditional red Torii gate. "Whoa," Manta fell back on his butt in surprise. They were really there! "They just appeared out of nowhere!" He exclaimed, mouth dropped in wonder.

"They didn't appear out of nowhere," Yoh explained while raising a finger. "The stairs were here all along, the image of the forest past this point is just a mere illusion."

"Wow," Manta said. "Who knew that a slacker like you would know so much?"

Yoh blushed a bit and scratched his cheek, replying sheepishly, "well, thanks I guess."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Yoh and his partner laughed a bit at this. "Alright, shall we go then?" the shaman asked. Manta and Amidamaru nodded in response. Thus, they began their ascension towards Higurashi shrine.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Both Yoh and Manta were panting heavily when they finally reached the apex of the stairs. Yoh stooped over with his hands planted on his knees as sweat dripped down his face. Manta did not double over, but he placed his hand to his heaving chest. Amidamaru was floating beside them. He noted the state of exhaustion that his partner was in and suggested, "Perhaps these stairs could serve as a training tool for you, Yoh-kun."

"Don't even joke about that…!" Yoh retorted as he tried soothing his raging lungs.

"You're a spirit, so of course it was no problem for you," Manta added in. His throat was dry and burning for a cool drink. Just breathing the hot air made it even drier.

Before anyone could plan their next action, the sound of a footfall snapping a twig caught their attention. They looked up to spot a woman in their mid-thirties approaching them.

They could only gape at the uncanny resemblance that the beauty had to Kagome. Her skin was a bit fairer, her dark hair was worn short, and her eyes were brown. But the similarities in their facial features were striking! It was undeniable that this woman was Kagome's mother.

"Why, hello there," she greeted them warmly. She was wearing a white apron over her brown dress and matching white slippers. "You two must be Asakura Yoh-kun," she said while looking at the brunette. She then regarded the blond and added, ", and Oyamada Manta-kun." She stifled a chuckle at the teen's surprised expressions. "I'm Kagome's mother. She talks about you a lot."

"I see," Manta stated before bowing respectfully. "It's a pleasure to be your daughter's friend."

Yoh imitated Manta's polite gesture and added, "Thank you for having us, Higurashi-san."

Higurashi-san returned the bow and said, "And thank you for taking such good care of my Kagome." She then smiled, "It sure is hot today. And I'm sure those stairs must have been exhausting in this heat. Help yourselves to this cold barley tea~" Yoh smiled gratefully and took the glasses. He passed one to Manta and immediately gulped his drink down. "Please follow me. Kagome is with her cousins and grandmother right now. I'll take you to her."

As they trekked across the courtyard, Manta took the time to drink in both his tea and shrine grounds. It was as spacious as most shrines. To the left was a residential house. Off-set to the right was a great tree. And further down to the right were two smaller structures. Finally, straight down the middle path was the temple.

As they walked down the middle path, Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru discovered that Kagome's mother was just as warm and talkative as her daughter was. The apple truly did not fall far from the tree with this pair. "The moment I saw you, I knew exactly who you were," the woman explained. "Kagome calls me every day to tell me about everything you do together. She talks for an hour nonstop, all about you." The warm-hearted woman laughed lightly.

She continued talking as she led them around towards the back of the temple. "The first day she became friends with you, she said… 'Mom! Guess what? I made two friends already! They're weird, but they're still cool. Manta-kun is super smart, a bit of scaredy-cat, and he has the weirdest sandy brown hair! He kind of has a short temper, but it's endearing in a way. And it turns out that Yoh-kun is a shaman! I don't get how someone so lazy can be so strong. You should have seen how he and Amidamaru-sama defeated Ryu, a gangster!"

Manta was impressed at the woman's power of recollection. He was sure that she quoted the exact words from her daughter's mouth. "I'm glad you three became friends with my Kagome," Higurashi-san admitted. "She tried hiding it, but she used to be so depressed…"

With that, they arrived at the back of the temple, where they spotted Kagome and her aforementioned relatives.

Instead of her school uniform or her everyday clothing, Kagome was dressed in traditional priestess garb. Her small frame was wrapped in a pure white haori long and red hakamas, with white split-socks with sandals on her feet. Her long, black hair was left loose around her shoulders and down her back.

Yoh's breath hitched in his throat at the sight of her.

Manta blinked and looked up at his friend, who seemed more taken aback than he should have been. "What's up, Yoh-kun?" He asked. "She did say that she was a priestess…"

The shaman then scratched his cheek a bit, "Ah, it's nothing. I just got a strange feeling." Without another word, he looked back at Kagome. The young priestess was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her hands up in a spiritual sign. Her eyes were closed, and her usually smiling face was as serene as a lone stream.

Kagome's cousins and grandmother were also dressed in priestess clothing. While the old woman's clothing was identical to Kagome's, the young girls' were more unique.

One girl had straight, dark hair, and her outfit was complete with blue hakamas. The other girl had short, auburn hair and dark red hakamas. As if sensing their presence, the three other priestesses looked over to newcomers.

"G-Good day. We're here to see Kagome-chan," Manta greeted with a nervous smile. Something about the two girls' pointed stares made him uncomfortable. He got the feeling that they were interrupting an important exercise. Hearing Manta's voice, Kagome's closed eyelids began to twitch.

The dark-haired girl suddenly spoke while gesturing towards Kagome's friends, "Do not worry, Kaede-baasan! We'll take care of these intruders!" The other girl nodded in agreement, and the two soon began moving in perfect unison. They stepped forward and turned their attention to Yoh and the others.

Higurashi-san smiled behind her hand and whispered, "Oh, dear. These two girls are getting riled up again..." She bowed to her guests, "You all have fun. I'm going to get some more tea." After bidding them farewell, the matriarch left the youngsters to their own devices. Kaede was there to look out for them after all.

The in-synch priestesses summoned staffs to their hands while striking dramatic poses, lifting one leg and extending one arm out. "I am Higurashi Momiji!" the red-haired girl announced.

"And I am Higurashi Botan!" the dark-haired girl added. They held up their staves in defensive positions and chorused in unison, "We will not allow you to distract Higurashi Kagome from her training!"

Manta instinctively stepped back with one foot and trembled a bit, "We're not intruders, we're friends!"

Yoh stepped forward and explained calmly, "We're not here to cause trouble. Kagome-chan invited us over today to tour the shrine."

Amidamaru floated beside Yoh and added, "Yoh-dono is telling the truth, so lower your weapons."

The two priestesses looked at each other after glancing at the spirit. They nodded at each other, knowing the others' thoughts. Botan glared at Amidamaru and stated, "As priestesses, we will not allow a spirit to freely roam the Earth!"

Momiji's right hand then began to glow a pale purple color. "Prepare to be put to eternal rest!" She shouted before charging at Amidamaru. Yoh and Amidamaru stood as still as statues as the priestess charged them with her glowing staff.

"Haaaaaaa!" she shouted, leaping in the air. "Begone from this world!" She swung her staff down over her head as she neared the shaman and spirit.

"WHAT?!" Momiji and Botan shrieked simultaneously.

Yoh had stepped in front of Amidamaru and caught Momiji's staff between his hands. Momiji grunted and pushed down with all of her might. After a few moments of struggling with the boy, the glow on her staff faded away. The disgruntled priestess huffed and jumped back, her sandals skidding across the ground. "What's up with that, Momiji?!" Botan screamed incredulously.

"As we said, we're friends of Kagome-chan," Yoh told them. "We're not intruders. And Amidamaru here," the boy jabbed his thumb behind him at his partner, "is my partner, not a restless spirit."

Botan ran up to Momiji's side and lifted her staff defensively. Momiji looked at Yoh's face and stated, "It seems like this boy is not an ordinary human. He's a shaman." She lowered her head so that her bangs hid the blush that spread from one cheek to another. "A pretty powerful one, for someone his age…" she whispered.

Manta nodded and said, "That's right. Yoh's a shaman, and I'm Manta, a human. Didn't Kagome-chan tell you we were coming today?"

Kagome's eyelids fluttered even more as her ears took in the sounds of voices around her. "Sha…man…" she whispered slowly. Her once clear mind was now processing the senses that she had suppressed. "Yoh…kun…" she said. "And…Manta-kun…" she added.

Kaede's eyes narrowed as Kagome's blue eyes slowly opened. The girl groaned as she blinked a few times to clear the fog away from her vision.

"You see!" Momiji yelled, pointing at Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru, "This is all your fault!"

"That's right!" Botan added. "Kagome has, once again, failed at creating a basic barrier!"

"Wait a minute!" Kagome interjected as she realized what was happening. She stood up and looked from her friends to her cousins then back to her friends. "Obaa-san!" she cried out. "When did they get here?!" she asked. "You promised to let me give them a tour of the shrine when they arrived! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Kaede closed her eyes calmly and answered, "You were so close to creating a barrier that I did not want to disturb you. I could feel your energy solidifying around you."

Kagome paused at the response. She then sighed a bit, "Okay, I get it. But still…"

Momiji and Botan turned to Kagome angrily and yelled at her in unison, "Obaa-san wouldn't be so worried about your training if you weren't such a failure!"

Kagome visibly flinched before she stomped over to her cousins, giving the two girls that made the boys shudder, "Who. Asked. YOU?!"

Amidamaru chuckled nervously and said, "I see that bad tempers run in the family."

"More like big mouths run in the family," Manta deadpanned as he watched the cousins argue.

"And they're supposed to be shrine maidens," Yoh sweatdropped but smiled nonetheless. "They're the most interesting ones I've ever seen."

Momiji blushed at Yoh's words. She then placed her hands on hips and smiled proudly, "I see that Yoh-sama has good taste."

Botan flipped her hair and smiled cutely, "Momiji, as a priestess, you should be more humble. A great shaman like him deserves only the best…" Momiji's and Kagome's eyes twitched at her next statement. "And in this case, that would be me~"

It was Momiji's turn to glare at Botan. "And what makes you think that you're the best, sister?" She asked with a forced smile.

"Wweeellll~" Botan almost sang the word. "For one, priestesses are supposed to be young, beautiful maidens. Kagome is a month and two days older than us, and you're the older twin by four minutes. Second, I'm much more advanced than you two are in almost everything…"

With a sigh, Kagome tuned out Botan's list and Momiji's flustered rebuttal. She walked toward her friends. "Sorry guys…" she smiled sheepishly. "I was in the middle of some priestess training. I'm supposed to be visiting but I got dragged into training with them, somehow."

Yoh waved his hand and replied, "It's fine, Kagome-chan. It turns out that your family is really interesting."

Manta nodded and added, "Besides, no one got hurt. And I never got to see a real, live priestess before. I've only seen pictures in the books I've read about them."

Kagome placed her hands on her hips and glared down at Manta. "What do you mean you've never seen a real, live priestess before? How long have we've been friends?"

Realizing his mistake, Manta raised his hands defensively and backtracked, "My bad, Kagome-chan! I didn't mean it that way! I mean, it's easier to picture you as a priestess when you wear that outfit!"

"You look especially lovely in your priestess garbs, Kagome-sama." Amidamaru nodded with a genuine smile on his face. "Right, Yoh-dono?" He looked at his partner, who's cheeks darkened a bit before he nodded.

Kagome smiled and nodded back, "Thanks a lot~" She then pointed beyond the shrine as stated, "The storage house is over there, but let's start the tour from the beginning~" The girl then took hold of her friends' hands and led them away from her sighing grandmother and bickering cousins.

"And don't let Momiji and Botan bother you," Kagome told them. "They're twin sisters, and they're only priestesses in training, like me. They trained a lot more than me though." She admitted the last part with an embarrassed smile.

"They're kind of weird…" Manta admitted. "One minute they're so in sync that they can read each other's thoughts, and the next they're arguing over nothing."

"Eh heh," Kagome scratched her cheek. "Yeah, they get along perfectly most of the time…until a cute boy comes along, then they bicker over who's the better twin."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The day had flown by as Kagome showed her friends around the entire Higurashi property. She walked them around the interior of her house. She explained the legend of the Goshinboku. She retold them the tales of her family history and how the shrine was founded. She even took them to see the old, dry well, where she had to drag out a spaced-out Yoh who was probably overloaded with information.

Kagome lit a few candles after she unlocked the door to the dark storage house. Manta, Amidamaru, and Yoh followed behind her and entered dusty space.

There were shelves with hundreds of scrolls, antiques, and ancient weapons on both sides of the room. "This room holds all the things past down from generation to generation in my family…" Kagome explained. "I'm sure there are plenty of scrolls about shamans in here, Manta-kun, so feel free to look around." She then placed each candle inside of the old, rusty lanterns hanging in each corner of the room.

The group then went about examining the items that caught their eyes. Yoh and Amidamaru admired the weapons that were placed in cases on the top shelves. Meanwhile, Kagome helped Manta by handing him the scrolls that were too high for him to reach. She then opened a random scroll and began reading the words in faded ink…

The girl could not place her finger on it, but something about this particular parchment called to her. Perhaps, it was the intricate painting of a beautiful, silver-haired man dressed in elegant yet armored clothing that caught her eye…?

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

I, Higurashi Ran, will record the story of the Great Dog Demon Sesshomaru and my younger sister Higurashi Rin so that our fleeting lives are not lost in this world's memories.

We were only children when we were orphaned with no other living relatives. I was thirteen years old and Rin was nine years old when a horde of demons raided our village and attacked our shrine. Our father was the only priest. He bravely fought the demons for as long as he could. Our mother, however, was an ordinary human with no spiritual power to ward off the demons' attacks, she was killed mercilessly.

Alone, and unwanted by the villagers that survived the attacks, we took off into the darkness the next night. We traveled long and far until we could not walk another step… We were weary, exhausted, starving, and heartbroken… _"I am sorry, little sister,"_ I told Rin after we both collapsed to the forest floor. _"I am your older sister, yet I can not take care of you. I can not go on from this point…"_

Rin, who had lost voice from the horrific events of the demon raid, only shook her head, crying… Her silent tears broke my heart even more… I knew that she did not blame me for her starvation and evitable death. And still, I felt responsible. We lied next to each other, and I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

_"Let us meet again in the next life…"_ I told her. She nodded wordlessly and closed her eyes… I'm sure that her heart had stopped. I could no longer hear her shallow breathing.

However, I did not die. I just lied there for days, next to the corpse of my younger sister, our hands still entwined. I wanted nothing more than to pass and see her smiling face once again.

Just as I felt myself slipping away, a sudden flash of warm, white light washed over us. It was a miracle. I felt energized. I sat up and saw Rin opening her eyes. And there he was, a beautiful demon with long silver and gold eyes had revived us with his sword. I came to know this sword as Tenseiga.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome quietly read the scroll from start to finish. She found the tale to be captivating. In a twist of fate, Sesshomaru had revived the Higurashi sisters to test out the abilities of his sword. Both Ran and Rin became his devoted servants. But Ran was sure that the demon lord favored her younger sister.

One day, a group of demon bandits launched a surprise attack on Sesshomaru during Rin's eleventh birthday celebration. Just after Sesshomaru had presented Tenseiga to Rin as a gift, it was stolen from her hands. She was cut down in cold blood. Sesshomaru quickly dispatched the murderers and recovered the sword.

It was mysterious. Rin's spirit would not return to her body, no matter how many times Tenseiga was used. Although a funeral was held for her safe departure to the next world, Ran and Sesshomaru sensed that Rin's spirit was still wandering the world of the living. Sesshomaru took Tenseiga and set out on a journey to recover Rin's lost soul. But he never returned…

_'Hmmm…that's stange...'_ Kagome thought to herself as she stared down at the illustration of the demon lord. _'Sesshomaru...I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. But where…?'_

"Kagome-chan!" Manta yelled suddenly, which startled the girl to squeaking and jumping.

"W-What is it?" She asked in a shaky voice as she placed a hand over her racing heart.

Yoh laughed lightly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It got dark a while ago. Manta thought we should wrap things up in here."

Kagome's surprised expression fell into a disappointed one, "Whaaaaat? Is it really that late?"

Manta nodded, his arms were full of old, dusty scrolls. "Yeah, I think it's about seven o'clock. You talked the whole day away."

Kagome blushed hearing this, "I don't remember doing that..." She then chuckled a bit and replied, "Alright, alright. I'll let you go. Sorry, I probably got the whole 'talk people's ears off' thing from my grandpa."

Yoh yawned loudly and stretched as they left the storage house, "I almost don't wanna go home. I'm beat."

An imaginary light bulb lit above Kagome's head. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "I've got an idea! How about you guys spend the night over here?"

"I don't know…" Manta raised a finger to his chin. "I'd have to make quite a few phone calls."

"Well," Yoh grinned while locking his fingers behind his head. "I vote for staying!"

"You're just too lazy to go back home, Yoh-kun," Kagome laughed.

Manta shrugged while joining the girl in laughter, "I'm surprised that he made it this far."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Wow!" Momiji and Botan squealed in unison. "A sleepover! It sounds fun!" Kagome sweatdropped at her cousins' excitement and sudden change in character. She could not blame them though. No matter how they argued, she found it endearing how serious they were about their duties and training, yet how young and immature they were at heart.

"I know!" Souta, Kagome's seven-year-old little brother chimed in. "Yoh-niisan is so cool! I never met a shaman before! And did you see his ghost, Amidamaru?! He looks so strong!" Kagome giggled at Souta's words. "And Manta-niisan is smart too! He promised to help me with my homework!"

"Wait a minute…" Kagome paused before leaning down towards her brother. "I'm here, why didn't you just ask me?!" She asked with a huff.

"Heh heh," Souta laughed nervously. "Where are they anyway?" He asked as his eyes darted left and right. He, Kagome, Momiji, and Botan were sitting in Kagome's room. Souta was sitting cross-legged on the cream-colored carpeted floor, Kagome was sitting in her rolling-chair in front of her study desk, and the twins conquered her twin-sized bed.

"Taking a bath and changing into nightclothes," Kagome replied. "You know how mom is when we have company. She wants everyone washed up and changed before dinner."

"Auntie sure does have some strange ways," Botan said nonchalantly.

Kagome's eye twitched and replied bluntly, "You're one to talk. Your mom doesn't allow anyone to eat breakfast until we run five laps around your shrine."

"I still don't know why, either," Momiji said, leaning back against the wall lazily.

"Thanks to Kagome, I don't have to worry about training to be a priest!" Souta cheered.

Kagome reached for a pillow but before her hand found one, the door to her room opened and in stepped, Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru. For a moment, the girls and Souta only gawked. Manta was wearing Souta's old green and white striped pajamas. Yoh wore a plain white tank top and a pair of black jogging pants.

"Uh, we're done…" Manta told them nervously. Why did he not like the looks he and Yoh were receiving?

"Wow, Yoh-kun!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed as her hands found her cheeks. "I knew those pants were a bit too big for me, but I didn't think that they'd fit you so perfectly!" She stood up and walked toward her friends to get a better look, but was run over by her two cousins.

Momiji blushed while staring at Yoh with starry eyes, "Yoh-sama! Even though you're wearing that silly Kagome-chan's clothing, you still look great as ever!"

Botan had scooped Manta in her arms and was rubbing her cheek against his. "You're so adorable, Manta-sama! Your pathetically inadequate height never ceases to amaze me!"

"Uh," Yoh blushed, scratching the back of his head and smiling. "Thanks, Momiji."

"Will you put me down?" Manta asked with an annoyed tone. "I'm not a kid ya know!" The priestess continued to swing Manta around, laughing merrily, in an odd state of bliss. "Botan! Let go of me!"

Botan suddenly dropped Manta onto the floor. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "What the hell is your pro—?!" He paused when he saw Botan and Momiji step back in unison. They joined their hands together and squealed in unison. Their faces sported identical blushes and starry eyes.

"He called me by my first name!" the twins shrieked in harmony.

Amidamaru decided to discreetly stand by Kagome so the twins would not start marveling over him. He watched quietly as Momiji and Botan began chatting with his partner and Manta about just about everything! He then peered at Kagome from the corner of his eye. She was sitting on the floor, watching her friends and cousins interact with narrowed eyes and air-filled cheeks.

"Kagome-sama," Amidamaru broached. His voice quickly snapped her out of her her eyes met his, he asked, "Is something bothering you?"

Kagome gave the samurai a forced smile and shook her head from side to side. "No, I'm fine…" She then looked back at the scene playing before her. "It's…nice… To see my cousins and friends get along so well."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Tonight's dinner turned out to be oden, which Higurashi-san happily announced to be Kagome's favorite.

"So if you two are priestesses in training," Manta began saying between bites. "That means that you live at a shrine too."

"That is correct, you _are_ smart," Botan cooed at Manta from across the table.

"So, why are you here, if you don't mind me asking?" the short boy asked curiously.

Momiji replied with a smiled, "That's easy. We prefer training with Kaede-baasan. Unlike Kagome, we've been training for years. We were born twins, without any other siblings, you see." She picked up a fishcake and waved it in tune with her words, "It's natural that we're more experienced than Kagome. She started her training pretty late compared to us. Kaede-baasan didn't think Kagome would need training…" She paused and her eyes darkened noticeably. "Until it happened."

Botan, who was sitting next to her twin, glared at Momiji and nudged her in the side. "Alright, that's enough. You can't just go and tell total strangers our family business!"

Momiji's face flushed and she mumbled, "Total strangers, huh? Just a while ago, you were so gaga over Manta-sama."

Yoh looked at Kagome from across the table, noticing that she was extremely quiet. "Kagome-chan…" he said, just loud enough for her to hear. She looked up from her lap and at Yoh. He offered her a smile once their eyes met, "Your mom said oden is your favorite, but you haven't eaten a bite. Are you okay?"

Kagome looked around the dining room from person to person until her gaze settled on Yoh again. She nodded wordlessly then stood up, politely excusing herself from the table. She moved towards the kitchen to refrigerate her dinner. "I'm not hungry," she mumbled to herself.

"Yoh-kun," Manta said. "Is it just me, or is Kagome-chan acting a bit strangely?"

"Yeah. Stranger than normal."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"I see!" Momiji and Botan said in unison. "You were changing the living room into our sleepover room while everyone ate! You're pretty thoughtful, Kagome!"

Kagome nodded and beamed proudly at her handiwork. She knew her room would have been too small to hold all five of the teenagers and Souta so she decided to borrow the living room for the night.

The long couch would serve as a bed for two people, one laying on each side. One person could sleep on the loveseat. She also created a few pallets with sheets, blankets, and pillows from her and Souta's room. She also found some extra pillows and blankets and put them on the couch and loveseat. "I did a pretty good job," Kagome sighed happily before patting herself on the back.

"Yeah, looks cozy," Yoh praised the girl with a gentle pat to her head.

Manta nodded and added, "No one could have done better!"

"Awww," Kagome blushed a bit. "I was only kidding. It's not that great, but thanks, guys~"

Momiji and Botan glared at the trio of friends. Were they imagining the bright, sparkling background as the boys showered their cousin with attention?

Meanwhile, Amidamaru watched the scene with an approving smile. _'That's right. Compliments are a good way to cheer anyone up!'_

"Well, anyway," Kagome said. "I'm tired from all of the training and touring today."

Yoh and Manta stretched and yawned out their agreements.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Momiji, Botan, and Souta asked outrageously. "Who actually sleeps at a sleepover?!"

|   
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	5. Higurashi Shrine And The Lonely Soul (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome wakes up and is drawn to a mysterious place from her childhood. It is here that she encounters Sesshomaru.

**Higurashi Shrine And The Lonely Soul**

**(Part II)**

The forest was singing with laughter as two children ran around and frolicked through its greenery. Carefree birds chirped and sang their joyful songs as they watched from the canopy of branches and leaves. The children that darted through the underbrush and played their games of imagination did not frighten the typically skittish woodland creatures.

Yes. The pair came to the forest every day, but they never dared to venture too far inside. The limits of their pretend kingdom was the meadow of goldenrods. Beyond the field of green and gold was an area of the woods where the trees huddled close together—where the sun could not pierce through their entwined branches.

One child wore a pink-checkered overall dress over a short-sleeved shirt with a large pink bow planted in her loose, dark hair. The other wore a matching purple-checkered overall dress over a long-sleeve shirt with two purple bows at either side of her head. The girl in pink nearly dragged the girl in purple deeper and deeper.

"Kage-chan, where are we going?" the girl in purple asked in an anxious voice. They had already run past the boundaries of the goldenrod meadow. It was not that they were forbidden to venture this far. There was just something about the darker part of the forest that felt off. "I don't know where we are anymore!"

Kage gave her twin a big, reassuring smile while squeezing her hand, "Just a bit further, Hime-chan. I wanna show you a really fun place to play!"

"What fun place?" Hime inquired, excitement overpowering the anxiety that she felt. "And how do _you_ know about it when I don't?" As twins, they usually did everything from playing to bath time together.

"Oh! 'member when Kaede-baasan came by to start your priestess training yesterday?"

Hime nodded and stated bluntly, "Of course, I do. It was just yesterday."

"Well, while you were busy, I went off to play by myself. And I met this cute little bunny and we played for a while!" Kage explained as her smile grew. "Then he took off for some reason, and I followed him! That's where I found the fun place!"

"When we get there, can we play True Love and War again?" Hime asked hopefully. It was her favorite game.

"Yup!" Kage nodded and picked up a stick on the ground. She pointed it up and announced, "I'll be the samurai, and you'll be my princess!"

It truly was their favorite game of pretend. It was a make-believe world where Kage could be stronger and protect someone, and where Hime could be helpless and shielded from the burden of strength.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Kagome-chan, what type of movie do you want to watch?" Manta's voice suddenly brought Kagome back into reality. He watched the girl's expression change from a soft introspection to surprised.

"Oh, um," The priestess lifted a hand and waved it a bit. "I'm fine with whatever you and Yoh-kun want," she answered with a smile that came off as too forced to her friends. _'Why am I thinking of that all of a sudden…?'_ She wondered to herself.

"Well, my plan was to sleep so I don't have a preference," Yoh said in a nonchalant tone.

"We're watching anime!" Souta suddenly shouted at the twins.

"No, we're watching movies!" The twins shouted back in unison.

Kagome sighed and placed a hand to her forehead, "This is embarrassing…" she whispered before placing her hands on her hips and marching over to her relatives. "It's late so you have to keep your voices down!" She chastised them in a louder voice that made the bickering trip go quiet, for a moment.

"You're not the boss of us, Ka-go-me!" Botan and Momiji protested. Sota pouted and nodded vigorously in agreement.

_'Big mouths really do run in the family…'_ Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru sweatdropped before a line of portraits caught the spirit's eye. The two boys followed Amidamaru over to the wall aligned with photos to examine them.

"Awww, it's Chibi Kagome-chan," Yoh pointed at a picture of a younger version of Kagome. She was standing in front of the Goshinboku, embracing a toddler Souta from behind. Behind them, there was another Kagome with a triumphant grin on her face as she stood on top of the fence around the great tree. "Oh, that's strange," he blinked while removing the framed picture from its hook.

"What is?" Manta asked as Yoh passed the picture to him. His eyes first fell on the embracing siblings, he chuckled, "That's pretty cute." He then spotted the other child. "Oh, I see. Looks like Kagome-chan has a twin sister."

Amidamaru floated closer to Manta and peered down at the photograph. "Hmmm…" He rubbed his chin as he raised an eyebrow, "Kagome-sama and the other girl are indeed identical. But she has not mentioned having such a sibling."

"Do you think something bad happened to her?" Manta inquired with downcast eyes.

"Hmm, I do sense a few spirits lurking around in the area," Yoh pointed out. "Should we summon them and ask what happened?"

Manta was quick to stiffen and shake his head, "No way! No way! That's way too straightforward! Besides, these aren't just _any_ spirits, they're Kagome-chan's _family_!"

Yoh nodded and explained casually, "Exactly why I want to speak to them." He stole a glance at Kagome who was pulling her cousins' ears. "Kagome-chan is a precious friend of mine. So her family resting in peace is especially important to me."

_'No matter what, Yoh-kun looks at situations like this through the eyes of a shaman…'_ Manta thought. He then smiled up at his friend and replied, "I see, so you're not just being nosey. That's good."

Amidamaru crossed his arms and suggested, "I understand your feelings, Yoh-dono. But you should probably wait until Kagome-sama is comfortable talking about it before you take action."

Suddenly, the discussion was interrupted by the frantic footfalls of the Higurashi twins. Botan, once again, swept Manta in her arms while rubbing her cheek against his. "Wah! Put me down, dammit!" The blond boy shouted as he squirmed with her arms. Meanwhile, Yoh did not flinch or resist as Momiji glomped him from behind.

"It's time for the very first Higurashi/Oyamada/Asakura/Amidamaru sleepover party!" the twins announced happily. "Feel free to make yourselves at home!"

Souta sweatdropped and grumbled, "…this is coming from the two who don't live here…" He carelessly dropped his armful of DVDs onto the blankets on the floor. "Yoh-niisan, you and Manta-niisan will have to sleep on the pallets!"

"Heh, heh, that's fine with me."

From late that night to early the next morning, the ragtag group spent time partying and acting like normal children. There was constant glomping from the Higurashi twins, high-pitched screams from horror movies, soda pop fights, and even pillow fights. Late in the party, Botan offered to read everyone's palms. "Woah! I didn't know that priestesses were also fortune-tellers!" Yoh gasped when the girl made her offer.

Kagome scratched her cheek as she explained, "Well, we are, but we're not? We're able to predict natural disasters after communicating with the gods… Palm reading is just Botan's hobby." Manta, Yoh, and Amidamaru anime fell.

"If you had told me something like that months ago, I wouldn't believe you," Manta admitted with an embarrassed smile. He then held his hand out to Botan and stated, "But I'm more inclined to believe it now. So, if you would," he nodded to the priestess.

Botan beamed as she took his hand and leaned forward to examine it. Manta had to refrain from laughing as she tickled his palm while lightly dragging her fingernail across his skin. "Hmm…" She smiled. "You will have a long, prosperous life. Your youth will be filled with adventure and excitement." The blond's face lightened up. "However, upon adulthood, your life will become very mundane and a little boring." His face fell instantly.

"Well, Manta-kun is the type who'd become something like an accountant, right?" Kagome asked while sharing teasing smiles with Yoh, who scooted closer to her cousin.

"Can you do me now?" He asked with a wide grin as he offered his open palm to the girl.

"Gladly~" Botan answered before she began her reading. "Your future is a bit more complicated," the priestess stated while squinting. "It seems that you have the potential to have a long life, but there's also the threat of it coming to an abrupt end if you follow a certain path." Yoh stiffened at the news. "Other than that, it seems like you will help a lot of people throughout your life. But you will also become so beloved by some, that you'll end up breaking a few hearts."

"Break a few hearts?" Yoh gaped at that part. "I don't like the sound of that at all!"

"Can you imagine Yoh-kun as a heartbreaker?" Kagome asked Manta.

Manta shook his head, "I don't think he has it in him."

"Here, Kagome~" Botan offered while taking her cousin's hand. "I wanna see if you stay the failure that you are right now!" She ignored Kagome's deadpanned _'I'll fight you'_ as she began examining her palm. Botan's brown eyes widened as she gasped, "No way…"

"What? What does it say…?" Kagome asked, feeling unnerved by her cousin's reaction.

"If I'm reading this correctly, Kagome is going to become extremely powerful," Botan announced. _'Kagome? Yeah, right!'_ Momiji laughed, earning a groan and glare from their cousin. "Not only that, but she's going to have the best happy ending ever!" Botan looked Kagome in the eyes as she spoke, "It says that you're going to be loved by many for a long time. But, you'll end up happily married to the man of your dreams."

Kagome's cheeks burned at the prospect as she retracted her hand. "The man of my dreams, huh?" She asked before smiling sheepishly. "I don't know what type of person that is yet."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Just beyond the field of goldenrods was a peculiar clearing. Darkened soil replaced the lush vegetation. In the center of the barren clearing was a cave with a gaping, dark mouth. Old, worn sutras coated the surface of the cavern's opening. "See? Isn't it cool?!" Kage asked, before running up to the cave and turning around to smile at Hime with her arms spread out wide, "What do ya think?"

"It's not that great…" Hime replied bluntly. "And it's kind of weird. Look at those sutras…"

"Don't mind the small details," Kage stated while raising a finger and winking.

"You're just trying to sound mature by copying Papa," Hime rolled her eyes.

"I am not!" Kage yelled back. "Anyway," there was a brief pause before Kage turned around to face the cave. "This can be my grave! The lonely samurai spirit's grave!"

"Okay!" Hime agreed with a soft smile. "And I'm the princess who summons your spirit from the dead!" Kage grinned and nodded, they were glad that Hime understood what their next adventure would be about.

"First, let's remove these old sutras!" Kage told Hime. Hime's blue-gray eyes widened and she reached out to her sibling but it was too late. Kage had already begun to peel the old paper away from the aging rock. Somehow, Kage did not notice how each time a sutra was removed, it went up in flames and the sky became darker.

"Stop it! Kage-chan, get down from there!" Hime suddenly shouted.

"Woah woah—WAH!" The startled Kage fell backward, peeling the last sutra off as she went.

Hime quickly ran to her fallen twin's side and helped her up into a sitting position,"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes glazed with concern.

Kage hissed in pain as her scraped elbows stung, "Y-yeah, I'm okay…"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky and hit the cave, blowing the twins away. Their small bodies rolled and tumbled across the hard soil ground.

"Kage-chan…" Hime grumbled as she lifted her head. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Kage responded as she picked her head up. "What's goin—?"

A monstrous, guttural chuckle overpowered the child's voice.

The twins looked towards the cave and felt their hearts stop.

A nightmare creature stood at the lip of the cavern. Its hunched form towered above two-hundred centimeters. Its leathery skin was colored sickly gray. Its most ghastly feature were the hundreds of eyes littering its skin. From small black to large blood-shot green ones, the monster had a plethora of pulsing, peeping peepers that anxiously glanced around. At the center of the monster's torso was a thick-lipped mouth as wide as its chest.

"Oh, God…" Hime whispered breathlessly.

The lips cracked a jagged-toothed grin before a forked tongue licked them. "God?" The demon asked incredulously. "For you two…" The eyes of the right side of the body stared at Hime while the eyes of the left settled on Kage. "There is no God."

With fear as their guide, the twins jumped to their feet and darted away from the creature. Kage was ahead of her sister by a mere thirty centimeters. But that short distance made a world of difference.

"There's no use running or hiding!" The demon roared at them from the cave. "I can smell your fear! I can hear your racing hearts!" A single arm shot through the air like a missile, easily snatching the closest prey.

Hime screamed in terror as she felt an iron grip on her ankle. The ground slipped beneath her feet. In a blur of colors, the child was yanked back towards the cave. And within the blink of an eye, the girl was held upside down at the creature's side.

"Release me, you foul creature!" Hime demanded indignantly. She held her skirt in place with one hand and fruitlessly batted at the demon's ribs with the other. "I'm a priestess! So put me down, or you'll regret it!"

At the sound of her sister's cries, Kage turned around and gasped. A few seconds ago, Hime was behind her. Now, there she was, dangling about the demon's gaping maw.

The fear of losing her sister overpowered the fear of losing her life. The girl turned around and ran to her sister's rescue. "Drop my sister, you forty-eyed freak!" Kage shouted angrily. "I said…" Kage whispered just loud enough for the demon to hear. The stick that Kage planned to transform into a sword using imagination was now her true weapon. "Let her gggooooooo!" Kage charged at the demon.

"Kage-chan! No, you can't!" Hime told her sibling while holding her hand up. "Go on without me!"

"You're just like Kaede-obaasan and the others! You think that I can't do anything because I'm not powerful like you," Kage shouted as she did not back down. "But starting today, I'm not going to be a shadow anymore!"

The demon chuckled and turned to Kage with Hime still in its grasps. "Poor little Kage," it mocked with feigned sympathy. "You won't live long enough to become anything more than a shadow."

"You're right. Kage dies right here and now! Because my name is—!" The child swung her stick at the creature's waist. It roared in pain as it was engulfed in an electric blue light.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome's eyes opened slowly as she awakened from the dream. The dark and silence of the house made her guess that it was still early in the morning. She looked around the room that was softly illuminated by the glow of the TV screen. "These guys…" she sighed before chuckling at the sleeping faces of her friends and relatives. She tied toed past the bodies of the boys on the floor and quietly turned off the device.

The girl took a single step. Her eye twitched when she stepped on a potato chip. It was crushed beneath her weight and its last words were a sharp crunch. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Gotta clean later…"

That was when a bright light rushed through the window shades and briefly lit up the dark room. Seconds later, the flash was followed by a deep rumbling sound. "Rain…thunder" Kagome whispered. "It was storming then too…"

Kagome quivered at the memory before she made her way to the bathroom to clear her head. Why was she thinking about that now? Was it because of the house? Was it her family that reminded her of that time? She shook her head and gazed at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She ran cold water in her cupped hands and splashed her face.

"No…" she whispered. "It's something else…" She guessed. Kagome and her sister never told anyone of that day in the woods. They had been too afraid to speak of what happened, not even to each other. Eventually, that day faded to the back of her mind, like a dream.

_'Something must have triggered those memories… But what?'_

Suddenly, Kagome's heart missed a beat as a thought struck her.

_'Golden eyes… and silver hair…'_ Kagome's inner voice spoke to her. She knew that those words had some sort of significance, but she could not remember what.

_'Golden eyes...and silver hair… Do I know someone like that?'_ She fastened her haori and straightened her hakamas. After slipping on her sandals, she was ready to go. With her mind clouded by fuzzy thoughts, she easily skipped and jumped over the sleeping bodies on the floor.

"I did," Kagome sighed in relief once she reached the front door. She turned and smiled at her friends and said, "I'll be back soon." With those words whispered to deaf ears, Kagome closed the front door behind her, unaware of the one person who did hear her.

The restless girl began walking a path that she had not seen in years. The threat of repressed memories flooding back made her feel numb. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own as her feet kept going deeper and deeper in the green area. _'What does it all mean?'_ she asked herself. _'I was useless that day, wasn't I?'_

A deep roll of thunder startled the girl from her thoughts. Upon her return to reality, she realized where she was. She stood amidst a field of crunchy, brown growths. "The goldenrods…they're dead now, huh?" She asked as her mind compared the image of decay to the golden plants in her memory.

_'If I retrace my steps, maybe… I'll remember everything that happened on that day… And then… I'll be a step closer to solving the mystery.'_ She thought to herself as she trudged through the rain-soaked stalks. The ground was drenched and slippery with dark muck. Her sandals offered her socks and feet no protection from the mud.

Feeling uncomfortable with soaked socks, Kagome pulled off her sandals and peeled off her socks. The mud was cool to her feet and sticky between her toes, but she moved forward. Only the mental image of a stern-looking Manta chastising her for catching a cold faltered her steps. But a moment later, the image of Yoh giving her a grin and agreeing to skip school to look after her urged her forward.

A feeling of recognition and melancholy washed over Kagome after she ducked under a low tree branch and came to another familiar clearing. It was the lifeless clearing that housed the damned cave and the grotesque demon. "This is…" Kagome said as she edged closer and closer to the waiting darkness. She ran her hand along the rough rock and sighed, "Where it all started."

The priestess closed her eyes and waited for more memories to come to her.

But after minutes went by, she could only sense loneliness.

She then looked up at the thick, dark clouds that gathered above.

The storm was going to get worse.

_'I'm an idiot,'_ she berated herself before climbing into the mouth. She found a sizable rock to support her back as she hugged her knees against her chest. _'Great… Now I'm stuck here till it passes…'_ she thought with a silent ire for herself. She shivered when the temperature noticeably dropped.

"Human girl," a calm voice baritoned at her from the other corner of the mouth. "You have no business here. Leave."

_'That voice…'_

Kagome turned her head.

Heavy armor, a boa as white as snow, pointed, black boots, elegant haori, long silver hair, and frozen gold eyes. At the opposite end of the entrance, sat a magnificent older man. "I didn't see you when I came in," Kagome stated as she got up and approached the man. "Who are you?" She could feel the demonic aura that pulsed off of the man in constant waves, like the tides of the sea. She knew that he was a demon, and yet…

Her senses were calm.

They told her that she had met this man before, and that he was no enemy.

"Priestess of the Higurashi shrine," The demon regarded her with a piercing gaze as she grew closer, not showing a sign of fear despite the recognition in her eyes. "This place belongs to this Sesshomaru."

_'That's right,'_ the girl thought as she stared down at the demon. _'Back then...it was you.'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kage dropped her weapon to shield her eyes from the blinding light that engulfed the demon and her sister. The rumbling roar from the monster and heart-shattering shrieks from the girl blended into a cacophony of agony. "Hime-chan!" She cried out. The monster and priestess jerked about as the blue light electrocuted them and set their skin on fire.

Besides the girl stood a man with a head of silver hair. His uncaring eyes took in his victims' pain without regard. Then, he turned to face the small girl next to him. He met her terrified blue eyes with his steely gold ones. "Rin, I have found you," was all that he said before sheathing his sword, sealing away its crackling power.

"Rin?" Kage's nose wrinkled at the name. "My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me!"

"Hn," The man got a better look at the child and subtly nodded to himself. The resemblance was there, but this child was not the one that he sought. His eyes closed, "I was mistaken." Without another word to Kagome, the man turned heel and began walking away.

Kagome glared at the man's back before running over to her twin's side. "Nee-chan!" She knelt down beside her fallen sister. Her heart clenched at the sight of her. "Kikyo-nee-chan!" She raised a shaky hand to her twin's face, but stopped herself. _'Those burns…'_

Both the monster and Kikyo were terribly scorched. Patches of their pale skin were charred into crunchy black splotches. "K-Kagome…" Kikyo's voice was hoarse and scratchy. Their blue eyes met and locked. Kikyo stifled a chuckle, the motion sending a searing pain throughout her body. She wanted to raise a hand to wipe her younger sister's tears away. "There it goes… You're crying again…"

"B-Because I don't know what to do!" Kagome screamed as her shoulders trembled. "I thought I could save you, b-but I…!" Her words died into bubbling sobs. She shut her eyes, squeezing out another bought of tears.

The droplets fell on Kikyo's face, like her very own rain shower.

"Eh?" Kagome opened her watery eyes when her sister's body was enveloped by a mysterious light. To her relief and shock, this light did not send Kikyo into another fit of pained screams. As quickly as the light came, it faded away. "Eh?!" She gasped when Kikyo emerged from the light, restored to normal.

The older twin slowly sat up and looked at her sister with a surprised expression. She then raised her hands and stared down at them. She turned her hand around and examined her fingers, arms, and legs. She placed a hand on her stomach.

All of her injuries and pain completely disappeared.

"Did...I do that?" Kikyo asked of her sister. Kagome did not know the answer so she did all that she could: pull her sister into a tight embrace. The elder twin slowly raised her arms to return the hug. "Let's get out of here, and never come back." Kagome nodded.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Kagome-chan!"

The scream of her name was muffled as the voices from the past resounded in her head.

She could hear the sound of her sister's voice telling her that they should head home.

"Kagome-chan, are you okay?!"

"Huh?" Blink. Blink.

Kagome was no longer staring into her sister's blue eyes, but a pair of familiar brown ones. They were like the promising aroma of oden after a long day, warm and inviting. They were as brown and solid as the very earth that kept her grounded in reality.

They were the eyes that brought her back from a dark place when she struggled to choose between the ordinary and the strange...

"You're way too close!" The priestess chastised while pushing her hands against the boy's chest, staggering him slightly. "What are you doing here anyway?" She grumbled out, wondering why she felt so riled up all of a sudden. Yoh never intimidated her before. And yet, she suddenly felt nervous, and that bothered her.

The shaman gave her a somewhat timid grin, "Sorry, I was just worried about you. You've been acting stranger than normal since you read that scroll yesterday."

Kagome felt her face warming, _'He was worried?'_ She shook her head and gave her a smile to reassure him, "Thanks, but you don't have to worr…Mm?"

The girl was left speechless, breathless when Yoh leaned in close and pressed his forehead against her. "Your face is kind of red though," he pointed out. He stayed there for a moment, comparing their temperatures, before pulling away. "Yeah, you're a little warm. You might have caught something."

"I'm fine. I was just lost in thought, that's all," The blushing girl reassured him. She then gasped and whipped around, "Where is he!?" She asked as her eyes darted around, desperately searching for signs of the demon lord.

"Oh, do you mean that demon spirit guy?" Yoh asked. "He left a minute ago. I tried talking to him but he completely ignored me," he explained with a displeased scowl. "He looks so strong! He'd be a perfect addition to my team!"

Kagome placed her hands on her hips and huffed, "Well, you can't have him. His name is Sesshomaru, and I've decided that he's just the man I'm looking for."

The shaman's jaw dropped to the floor. "B-But you can't do that!" He explained while flailing his hands about.

"Eh?" Kagome blinked at her friend. "Why not?" She asked with a slight head tilt.

"I know that you got excited about your fortune!" Yoh babbled while placing his hands on her shoulders. "But you're way too young to worry about that! Plus, he's way too old for you! And—!" He paused as the priestess aimed a deadpanned look at him. "Aha…" he chuckled while removing his hands from her person to scratch the back of his head. "You're talking about shaman stuff, aren't you?"

Kagome placed a hand to her forehead and replied, "I think I know where Manta-kun is coming from…"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

It was that time again: 5:00 A.M.

Manta groaned as he was awakened by the urge to relieve himself. He blinked the blurriness of sleep away. In a swift motion, he was on his feet. His expression was blank as he was driven by pure instinct. He stepped over Souta as he made his way towards the bathroom.

_'That's right…'_ He thought groggily when he realized that this bathroom did not have the step-stool that he used to reach the sink. _'We spent the night at Kagome-chan's place.'_ After lowering the lid of the toilet seat, he climbed up and proceeded to wash his hands.

His mind suddenly replayed his trip from the living room to the bathroom. He sat up. He stepped over Souta. He spotted the twins huddled close together on the couch. _'Wait! They weren't there?!'_ He questioned if his short-term memory was failing. The water handle creaked as he quickly turned it off.

Manta hopped off of the toilet seat and ran back to the living room. There was no sign of either of his friends. He then went to the front door and noticed their shoes were missing. _'Yoh-kun, Kagome-chan! Where did you go!?'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Time went by with no improvements in sight. The rain came down relentlessly, coating the area in a misty spray. Lightning crackled as it connected the heavens and earth. Thunder boomed here and there like a drum of the gods. The shaman and priestess took in the spectacle with calm eyes, much like when they star-gazed with Manta. "So, you met that Sesshomaru guy in the past…" He concluded after hearing out her story. "And you think his reappearance drew you out here?"

Kagome nodded slowly and stared at her lap. "I can't explain it logically, but…" her hands became fists as she spoke. "Have you ever just...got this mysterious feeling that something was meant to be?" She lifted her eyes to Yoh's.

"Hmmm…" Yoh's face scrunched into a thoughtful expression. "I guess, about meeting you." The priestess blushed a bit but ended up unclenching her fists and smiling. "You, me, and Manta… It feels like meeting and becoming friends is fulfilling an old dream."

The priestess groaned while placing a hand to her mouth and scowling, "Ugh, I feel sick."

The shaman turned and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Hey, I'm being serious!" He pouted then blinked when he noticed the truly sickened expression on Kagome's face. _'Did she really catch something bad?'_

"Sorry," The priestess' voice was a breathy whisper. "I'm suddenly very tired. I have a bad feeling about this…"

Without warning, the earth began to violently shake, sending the weakened priestess falling into her friend's arms. A bead of sweat ran down Yoh's face when the shaking was followed by a thunderous voice resounding wicked laughter from within the depths of the cave. "Kagome-chan," the boy said as he picked her up bridal style. "Let's get out of here."

Without wasting time, Yoh escaped the quaking cavern with Kagome in his arms. He looked down at her face and scowled at the forced smile that she gave him. "I'll get you home, okay?" That was when it hit him all at once—the presence of darkness.

The crash and crumbling of the cave in.

The devious laughter from before drowned out the boom of thunder and plops of heavy rain.

A frightening long shadow loomed over them.

Yoh's breath was still as he dared to turn around and gaze up at the terror awaiting them. _'A-An oni?!'_ He only caught a glimpse of the monstrosity that towered above them. The demon was ruthless. A swift swipe of its hand sent the teens flying across the clearing. _'Damn it!'_ The only thing that he could think of was protecting the girl in his arms. A quick turn before they crashed allowed Kagome to land on top of him as they skidded across the ground.

Kagome moaned a bit as she used her shaky arms to force herself into an upright position. "Yoh-kun?" She looked down at her friend and scowled when she saw that he had lost consciousness. A brief glance over her shoulder revealed the demon from years ago slowly sauntering over to them, its large mouth grinning. _'That's the one from before...but how?'_ Her eyes then landed on the quaking cave across the day. _'And that place...it's devouring my energy. Was this all a trap…?'_

"We finally meet again, little priestess," the demon greeted her, its tone friendly but its smirk predatory. "I've waited so long for this reunion. And your spiritual power has grown quite nicely, what a treat!"

Kagome's eyes widened. She looked down at Yoh's face. _'I've dragged Yoh-kun into this mess…'_ She thought. _'I can't allow him to die. He doesn't deserve that.'_

"Oho?" The demon's hundreds of eyes honed in on the priestess as she shakily got to her feet. "You have the strength to stand after being so close to the priestess eater for so long?" He asked as Kagome aimed a glare and defiant smile at him.

"Priestess eater, huh?" She asked. "So that's what that cave is. I see." _'It really was a trap, for me. I've got to lead that thing away from Yoh-kun. I've got to live long enough for him to escape!'_

"Yeeeees," the demon hissed as it came within a meter of the girl. "Hundreds of ago, we realized that we were too weak to survive alone. Between holy humans and stronger demons, we surely would have perished on our own. So we formed an alliance...the priestess eater would use its aura to lure priestesses and devour the fleshly body…"

"So you must be…" Kagome replied, her eyes stealing another glance of Yoh, hoping to find a sign that he would wake up soon. "The type of swamp demon that devours souls, especially children."

"Ahhhh," The demon smirked as it reached out its arm and raised a hand to caress Kagome's cheek. It relished in how its prey was petrified in fear. "Yes. You're much sharper than the last Higurashi that I devoured. I wonder if your soul will taste just as sweet."

"The last...Higurashi…?" Kagome's eyes widened. She then gasped when she realized what truly happened to the soul of her ancestor—the girl who the demon lord Sesshomaru had been searching for...

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Sesshomaru-sama! Where are you?" Rin asked as she wandered aimlessly through the void. It was cold and dark. She cupped her hands around her mouth as she screamed even louder, "Ran-onee-san! Please answer me!" The girl sighed and pouted a bit, wondering where her lord and her sister could have gone off to. It seemed like ages since she had last seen them. How many hours had it been? Or was it days? Weeks?

_'Where am I anyway?'_ Rin asked herself as she continued walking through the darkness. _'How did I get here?'_ It felt like she had been walking for a long, long time. And yet, she never grew tired. Was she becoming stronger?

"Sesshomaru-sama! Onee-san!" The girl yelled for the only family that she had left. She scowled as she tried to spot a glimpse of their faces, "I hope we're not playing hide and seek! You both said that I'm getting too old for this game! So come out already!" She sighed to herself and muttered, "If this is some sort of game, I don't think I want to play anymore…"

"Would you shut your damn mouth already?!" a deep, dry voice suddenly snapped.

Rin blinked twice as she followed the source of the voice. She felt oddly drawn towards a cave that soon came into view. "Oh, wow! Finally!" The girl cheered as a strange creature emerged from one of the cave's many pools of muck. She excitedly ran to the cave's entrance to greet the creature. "Demon-san!" Rin cried with a toothy grin. "Where can I find Sesshomaru-sama?" She asked the question without a hint of fear.

As the muddy water slid down the demon's body, Rin was able to see hundreds of eyeballs pop open, one by one. Still, she was unafraid. The demon chuckled as it responded, "I know not of this Sesshomaru-sama that you seek. But I do know a few things about you."

Rin tilted her head to the side a bit and asked innocently, "What is it? We just met. What could you possibly know about me, Demon-san?" She did not flinch when the demon raised it's large and cupped her small cheek.

"You've been wandering around the astral plane for quite some time…" The demon informed Rin, the lips on its stomach widened with each word. "You may think you're alive and just lost… But oh no, my dear, you're a lost soul and my next meal."

"I'm...what?!" Rin's eyes widened and she took a step backward… She watched in terror as the mouth opened, revealing two rows of gnarly teeth. _'It's going to...eat me?!'_ Rin fell backward onto her bottom. "Ran…Onee-san…" She whispered as the mouth drew closer and closer. "Sesshomaru-sama… Sesshomaru-sama… SESSHOMARU-SAMA!"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

_'So that's what happened to Higurashi Rin…'_ Kagome thought.

"After we devoured her soul and body, that dog demon came running, but he had nothing to find. Not a scent to sniff," The swamp demon chuckled. "And what a wonderful surprise it was to meet you years ago…two fresh priestesses~ But that damned dog ruined it, didn't he?"

Kagome then forced a confident smirk to her face as she replied, "Well, maybe, he'll crash this little party again." The demon flinched and retracted its hand. "Let's find out," the priestess whispered as she forced her legs to move. Gravity was especially unkind with each heavy step that she took as she darted away. "Sesshomaru-sama!" She called out. _'Back then, he thought that I was Rin… So maybe!'_ "Sesshomaru-sama!" She screamed again while looking over her shoulder.

Just as she predicted, the demon was bounding after her. Its footsteps pounding the ground as it went. Before Kagome had the chance to celebrate that her plan to lure the demon away worked, her senses began to scream danger at her. She then remembered the last time that the demon chased her and her sister.

In the nick of time, the priestess listened to her instincts and dove to the ground, narrowly escaping the extended arm that shot through the air above her head. She then rolled to the right to avoid the arm as it retracted to its body. "I've got to—!" The girl screamed when she suddenly found herself soaring through the air. She looked up and sighed in relief, placing her hand to chest, "Oh, it's you, Yoh-kun. But how?"

"It'll be alright now" Yoh smirked at her. "The cavalry has arrived."

"Oh, it's you, Amidamaru-sama," Kagome stated as she was gently sat on the wet ground. "Where have you been anyway?" She asked as Yoh stood in front of her, wooden sword in hand.

"You should thank us, you know," Momiji and Botan suddenly chorused as they stood at their cousin's sides. Kagome just sweatdropped when the twins patted each other on the backs. "When Amidamaru-sama came to get help, we're the ones who came here to save you!"

Manta also entered the scene, explaining as he approached Kagome, "They may act a little haughty, but they were in tears when Amidamaru told us what happened." He placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder and asked, "You okay?" The priestess nodded and smiled weakly. His gaze then turned to the icky beast with a thousand eyeballs and all the hairs on his head immediately stood up. "What the hell is THAT?!"

"I-it's an ancient swamp demon…" Momiji answered in a breathy voice.

"And it seems...it teamed up with a priestess eater…" Botan added before the two girls collapsed to their knees. "This is bad…" The twins were already panting heavily as sweat dripped down their forwards.

"It's up to you, Yoh-sama," Momiji told the shaman. "T-that cave is sapping our strength."

"We've got this!" Yoh and Amidamaru shouted before charging at the demon. As the monster raised an arm to counter his attack, he leaped into the air. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!" He shouted as he held the sword over his head.

Botan looked over at her cousin and stated, "H-Honestly, I'm amazed that you're still conscious right now...let alone alive."

"I-I know, it's strange." Suddenly, Kagome slowly rose to her feet, shocking both of her cousins. "But, I can keep standing as long as I have something important to me…" She cupped her hands together, her eyebrows furrowing with concern. _'Yoh-kun and Amidamaru-sama...they can't win like that…'_

A successful blow was delivered to the demon's head, only for the sword to get caught in the demon's pale flesh. "W-What?!" The shaman grunted as his weapon began to sink into the liquefying skin. With each tug on his sword, he felt the pull of the demon's skin become stronger, drawing him closer to being absorbed within its depths. Amidamaru swore inwardly as they abandoned the weapon, opting to jump away.

"Yoh-kun, buy me some time!" Kagome suddenly called over to the shaman as he jumped over the demon's fist that crashed into the earth, creating a small crater where he once stood. "Help is on the way!"

"Help?!" Manta asked skeptically. "From where?! Who else can help me us if Yoh-kun and Amidamaru can't?!" His questions were immediately answered when unfamiliar footsteps approached them from behind. The boy shivered and rubbed his arms as a chilling presence walked past him to stand next to Kagome.

"I heard your call, Priestess," Sesshomaru stated.

"You sure took your sweet time, Sesshomaru," Kagome lightly snipped. She faced the demonic spirit, "That demon over there, and that cave—they're both responsible for Rin's disappearance back then." When she looked into the demon lord's eyes, she could have sworn that she saw a brief flicker of anger.

"Very well," he responded, his voice as cool as before. It was admirable how he kept a cool head, despite his thirst for vengeance. "Our interests align just this once." Sesshomaru thought back to the conversation between the priestess and shaman that he overheard earlier. Perhaps he truly was meant to be here, at this time with this girl. Perhaps, it was fate granting him the chance to avenge Rin.

Silently, his golden eyes landed at Kagome's bare feet. Even the spot that she was standing in was too much of a coincidence. But it did not matter. Fate or coincidence, he would not pass on this opportunity for retribution. This was an opportunity to avenge Rin and regain his honor as her guardian. "Dig."

Kagome twitched, "What?" That was definitely not what she had in mind.

"You heard me," his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, hinting at his thinning patience.

"Fine, fine!" The girl got to her knees and began digging her nails into the chilly, damp soil. "Sorry, everyone!" She added as she began ferociously clawing through the earth and sending muddy clumps flying through the air. She was tired, so tired. But the sound of the demon's aggravated roars spurred her to keep going.

Manta gulped when Yoh narrowly evaded a punch from the demon's fist. He looked between the Higurashi twins, who was clutching at their chests and panting heavily, and scowled, "W-What's with you two? You just got here and you're already exhausted?!"

The twins gave Manta smile the same weak, tired smile that Kagome gave him earlier. Botan replied slowly between pants, "W-We're as useless as...Kagome right now… That cave over there is actually a priestess eater… It feeds on the spiritual power of priestesses… It has a special, alluring aura that calls priestesses to it… Much like bugs to light, or flies with honey… A priestess usually has to be trapped inside of the demon to be affected… But since we haven't tapped into all of our powers yet, just being near the cave drains our strength."

Momiji nodded to Manta to confirm the information. She then looked in Kagome's direction and wondered aloud, "It's amazing though… Someone as untrained as Kagome… A priestess who can't even create a barrier at the age of thirteen… She's been around the priestess eater much longer than we have. But… Look at her, she's digging like she's not even affected by its presence. A moment ago, she looked as weak as we do. I guess, if she really puts her mind to it, Kagome can be strong."

Kagome winced when her nails dug into something cold and hard. "I think I found something!" she announced. Everyone except Yoh and the monster, who were still fighting, turned their attention to Kagome and Sesshomaru. A small ray of golden light was leaking from the ground. "I-It's beautiful…" She whispered as she caught a glimpse of glittering gold.

The demon lord stood there, as still as a statue as he commanded, "Take it, and stand."

"Right! Let's do this!" She then reached into the loosened dirt and gripped the treasure beneath the soil. She yanked her arm up as hard as she could and almost fell backward when her arm popped out of the ground. "Eh?" The girl looked at the object in her grasp. It was a golden, crescent-shaped bow that was emitting a golden light as bright as the sun's rays. "Is this what you wanted?" she questioned with uncertainty while raising the weapon.

"It was to be another gift to Rin," Sesshomaru answered. "Defeating that demon with this will be poetic." Kagome nodded in agreement before following the demon's instructions and getting to her feet.

"Yoh-kun, we'll handle it from here!" Kagome called over to the shaman. "Get out of there!"

Momiji and Botan gasped at their cousin's declaration. They were almost trembling at what she was suggesting. "Kagome, you can't—! That's foolish!" Botan told her. "Demons are evil! You can't possibly join forces with one!"

"What other choice do I have?" Kagome asked, her eyes hardening with resolve. "I don't have confidence in my spiritual power. And I can't leave Yoh-kun to fight this thing alone. It's me that it wants anyway."

The priestess and demon lord faced each other. "Okay," she sighed softly. "What's next?"

"Just stay silent," Sesshomaru commanded. He placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder. Her eyes widened at the surge of power that suddenly pulsed through her body.

Even the swamp demon was taken aback by the bright light that radiated from the two beings. Sesshomaru's crimson red aura flared up against Kagome's arctic blue. With a burst of blinding white light, the two auras disappeared...

As soon as the light subsided, Manta lowered his arms from his face. He looked to the spot where Kagome and Sesshomaru once stood. He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure that he was seeing correctly.

Only Kagome was left standing in that spot, her eyes closed and expression calm.

"T-The merging! It worked!" Manta pumped his fist into the air, feeling proud that his friend succeeded on her first try. But everyone froze when Kagome's eyes flashed open and revealed eyes smoldering gold instead of her blue-gray. A deep blue crescent moon appeared on her forehead.

Manta jumped behind the twins at the cold look in Kagome's eyes. "S-Something's not right about that!" The observant teen pointed out with shaking knees. "When Yoh-kun merges with Amidamaru, his physical appearance never changes!"

Botan's eyes hardened as she replied through clenched teeth, "that's because Kagome and Sesshomaru did not merge. They did not become one as a shaman and an oversoul would…"

Manta, Momiji, and Botan watched in horrified curiosity as Kagome cracked her knuckles just by flexing her fingers. Manta looked between the twins and their cousin, "B-B-B-but! Sesshomaru has disappeared! And her eyes are like his! He must be inside of her!"

Momiji nodded and continued the grim explanation, "exactly. The two of them did not merge. This is a case of demonic possession."

Manta's eyes widened at Momiji's last two words.

"Waaaaaah!" Yoh screamed as he ran towards them with the demon's elastic arm closing in on him. "It's coming! You two do your thing!"

"Step aside," Kagome ordered in a tone that was unlike herself. The stone-cold glare that she gave the demon further cemented that she was not herself. She raised the golden bow and aimed her target. "Now, die."


	6. The Great Dog Demon and the Chinese Warrior (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoh, Manta, and Kagome return to their homes in inner Tokyo. Soon after, they have a deadly encounter with the hostile shaman Tao Ren.

**The Great Dog Demon and the Chinese Warrior**

**(Part I)**

The swamp demon was taken aback at the cold glare he received from the possessed priestess. It was the evil eye—a gaze fixed with malicious intent. The demon's army of eyes were trembling as its body was caught in the wake of Sesshomaru's hatred.

It had been centuries since the demon felt this feeling. It felt so foreign. It was survival instinct: the instinct to fear a demon with greater power than its own. Now that the demon lord had a body, human or not, the swamp demon could sense the unfathomable power that Sesshomaru possessed. The tantalizingly sweet aura that Kagome once radiated was now completely gone. In its place was viciously swirling demonic red energy.

"Now…" The girl's body spoke in a lower octave. "How many Higurashi children have you devoured so far?" She raised the golden, crescent-shaped bow and took aim at the swamp demon who was frozen on the spot as its body quivered.

The hundreds of eyes on the demon's body nearly popped out of their gray sockets. The mouth was agape before it attempted to speak, "W-Well…! J-Just one!" Its nervous smile was twitching as it spewed out its lines, "I-It was an accident. A complete accident, h-honestly! Y-You know how it happens… You come upon a human and you might be a bit hungry, and then the next thing you know, you end up taking a bite out of them—!"

"Silence," Kagome order was absolute, and the demon obeyed.

Yoh and the others watched in awe as dark, red energy took the form of a string and an arrow in Kagome's hands. "I'll kill you once for every Higurashi that you've eaten."

"J-Just one!" The demon held its arms out. "It was only one puny human, S-Sesshomaru...sama!"

Kagome looked like she would scoff, but instead, she replied in a scarily calm voice, "I've wasted enough time on you. Demons like you…" The power behind the demonic arrow visibly intensified, growing deeper red and sizzling hot, "are **worthless**."

That was all.

The arrow shot into the demon's mouth, detonating like a bomb on impact.

Kagome watched the explosion with a stoic expression as the other teens shielded their eyes from the intense light.

Once the smoke cleared, the only remaining traces of the swamp demon was a blackened stain on the ground. It gave off a pungent odor that made the humans grimace and reach for their noses.

Yoh and Manta grinned wide and raised their arms to cheer for their victory, but blinked when they suddenly felt the weight of Momiji and Botan weighing them down. "Eh? Could you get off of me?" Manta sweatdropped, earning a pout from Botan.

"B-but Manta-sama," Her eyes sparkled tenderly. "I feel so weak… Only your affection can recharge my—Eh? Where are you going, Manta-sama?!" The priestess cried out when she noticed that he and Yoh slinked away from her and her twin. The boys were focused on watching their friend's movements.

"Because you did me a favor, I will do this for you," Kagome spoke, her voice now calm and collected. She then raised the golden bow again, took aim, and blasted the priestess-eater with another arrow. The cave was reduced to mounds of ash, leveling the clearing to nothing but bare soil.

With the demon gone, Botan and Momiji felt like a mountain was lifted off their shoulders. The twins immediately were able to jump to their feet as their usual spry natures returned. They quickly ran to either side of Kagome and raised their staffs offensively.

"Foul demon!" Momiji spat out angrily. "You dare possess the body of a Higurashi priestess?!"

"We saw everything that transpired between you two!" Botan glared at Kagome and accused, "As repulsive as it is to become one with a _demon_! You crossed the line by tricking her into possession!"

"We command that you leave her body at once!" the twins harmonized while pointing their fingers at their cousin's body. Yoh scowled and cautiously approached the three girls.

Even when the Higurashi twins attempting to trap and threaten her, Kagome's silent, calm demeanor never changed. Her face was completely stoic, unlike her usual expressiveness. One could not predict what she would do next.

Without warning, Kagome turned on her heel gracefully. Her long black hair flowed behind her as she moved. "I have no intention of staying in this body. It does not suit my needs," she said while closing her eyes. An orb of red light then emerged from the priestess's chest and floated toward the sky.

For a moment, all was quiet as the priestess stood there, eyes still closed. Yoh's eyes widened and he quickly moved when he noticed her knees buckle. "She's out cold," the shaman announced after catching Kagome by her midsection.

Manta jogged over to them and patted Kagome's cheek, "She's completely out of it. Being demonically possessed must take a lot out of you," he guessed.

Momiji and Botan nodded in unison, and then Botan expanded, "A regular possession from a ghost wears out the body enough. But a demonic possession is on a whole nother level. It could have serious or fatal side effects. A lot of people die from them."

"Shouldn't being a priestess will help her with that?" Manta questioned, his eyes searching desperately for hope. Botan averted her gaze for a moment so Manta looked back at Kagome as Yoh shifted her onto his back. "She should have a better chance of recuperating, right?"

The twins once exchanged uncertain glances. Momiji decided to explain this time, "Well… The answer is yes and no at the same time… You see…" Momiji tapped her chin and tried thinking of how she could explain it easily. "Demons and priestesses are polar opposites in nature. As opposed to the theory of opposites attract, the two cannot coexist within the same body at the same time without damaging effects to the weaker of the two beings."

"Needless to say, but…" Botan continued from where her twin sister left off. "I'm sure that it was pure luck that Kagome survived this entire ordeal." Hearing this information from the twins, Manta completely deflated. He lowered his watery gaze to the ground and sniffled softly.

Seeing his complete change in attitude, Botan and Momiji squealed in delight and cooed, "Aaaawwww, he is so cute! So sweet!" Their serious demeanors had completely vanished.

"Alright," Yoh said out of the blue. "We're ready to go," He while glancing at Kagome's peaceful face from over his shoulder. "Let's get Kagome-chan home," he told them.

The twins paused in their cooing and then nodded in agreement.

By the time the group of teens had stepped back into the Higurashi house, the sun had begun to peek over the shrine. All of them were worn from the ordeal. And Kagome showed no signs of waking up. "Yoh-kun, can you get Kagome-chan up to her room quietly?" Manta asked. "I think she could rest more comfortably up there."

Yoh gave a toothy grin and thumbs-up, "N-No problem...! Leave it to me!" Manta looked down and saw how the shaman's legs were shaking from exhaustion. His legs told a completely different story than his confident, cheery face.

"Ehhh…" Manta sweatdropped. "Are you sure about that?"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Good morning, everyone~ Rise and shine!" Higurashi-san greeted the sleeping teens as she walked into the living room. She expertly avoided the trash and crumbs on the carpet as she made her way to the closed blinds. "It's ten o'clock," she told the unmoving bodies while opening the shades and allowing the sunlight to spill into the room. "Time to get out of bed~"

Manta groaned as he slowly sat up with a sleepy look on his face. He managed to get three hours of sleep but it felt like the shortest hours of his life. He weakly reached for Yoh's shoulder, patting it with all of his strength. "Hey…Yoh-kun…" Manta called robotically. "Time to wake up."

Yoh moaned like a zombie as he slowly rose into a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. "Really?" The brunette then released a loud, open-mouth yawn as he stretched. "Is it that time, already?" he mumbled. "But I'm still—" Without even finishing his sentence, Yoh fell over and was out like a light again. Manta followed his lead a second later.

The woman chuckled while holding her cheek, "Honestly, how late did these kids stay awake?" She looked at the faces of her nieces, son, and their guests. "I suppose I can let them sleep…" she whispered to herself while closing the blinds. "for a little while longer…"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

By the early afternoon, everyone had freshened up and enjoyed the brunch that Higurashi-san prepared for them, everyone except for Kagome. She had yet to awaken from her unconscious state after being demonically possessed by Sesshomaru. At first her mother assumed that she was simply exhausted from such a long day. But a couple of hours after all of her friends and family had awakened, Higurashi found herself trying to smile to save face in front of her guests.

But the troubled look behind her eyes did not fly under Yoh's radar. The shaman then crossed his arms and made up his mind. "Manta," the brunette gave his friend an uncharacteristically serious look as he discreetly waved him over to the hallway. "We have to wake Kagome-chan up, no matter what."

Manta looked mildly surprised as he asked in a hushed voice, "Doesn't she just need some rest after what happened?"

Before Yoh could respond, the dangerously sweet voice of Higurashi-san came from behind them, "She needs some rest after what happened?" The boys cranked their heads over their shoulders to look at the Higurashi matriarch. They were unsure if her sugary smile made them at ease or nervous. Who knew if this woman was completely like her daughter? Was she hiding a fiery temper behind a sweet face like Kagome...?

Yoh and Manta looked at each other, mentally asking the other what they should do. The blond then sighed aloud, his shoulders slumping a bit. He rubbed the back of his head and offered his friend's mother the best smile that he could muster. "Well, you see…"

Explaining what happened to Kagome's mother was surprisingly not as painful as they imagined. Yesterday, their first impressions of the woman was that she was welcoming and good-natured. However, they were now convinced that she was actually a saint or angel in disguise. Not only did she allow two strange boys to spend the night in her home, but she also did not explode at them when they explained what happened to her daughter.

She listened to their story without a relatively calm, but somewhat concerned expression. She did not seem surprised at anything that they told her, nor did she interrupt them with questions. "I see, so that's what happened…" Higurashi finally spoke. Her face became thoughtful, concerned, and an inscrutable emotion that the boys could not place their finger on. "Well, I'm sure she'll be fine," she concluded after taking a moment mull over the situation. "Kagome is a magnet for trouble, but she always ends up alright in the end."

Manta withheld a sigh of relief. The woman before him truly was a saint. He was sure that if his family found out that he was endangered or injured while with his friends, they would have the exact opposite reaction. First, he would have to put with the taunts and teasing from his haughty, younger sister. Then, his mother would be as complacent as always and allow his father to do something drastic. 'Something like sending me off to some private school far, far away,' He thought dryly. Somehow, his inner thoughts ended up annoying himself.

Manta's thoughts were then interrupted by Higurashi-san grabbing his and Yoh's in each of her hands. The woman smiled, "Don't worry, you two. I'm not angry at you for anything." She smiled when she saw their bodies release some tension. "As I said before, I'm glad that she met you and that you became friends," she told them. "Kagome hasn't been this happy in a long time."

Yoh returned the woman's smile with a grin. He scratched the back of his head, blushing at the situation. He was never in the type of situation where the parent of a friend praised him like this. He looked from Manta's equally embarrassed smile back to Kagome's mother. "You don't have to thank us. We feel the same way about Kagome-chan."

Manta nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I can't imagine a life without Kagome-chan now."

"She may end up causing you a lot of trouble," The woman responded while releasing their hands. "But please continue to take good care of her," she stated before bowing deeply.

The next hour was almost as eventful as early that morning. After Higurashi-san told Kagome's grandparents that she was exhausted from a demonic possession, Kaede sighed as her husband ended up chasing Manta and Amidamaru around the entire shrine.

The old man slapped a sutra on Yoh's face, causing the unsuspecting shaman to fall on his butt—a confirmation of Yoh's true, nefarious nature in his eyes. He then flashed a handful of sutras while aiming a suspicious look at Manta and Amidamaru, the two stiffened before making their way to the door. The priest chased them around for a while, leaving Yoh to peel off the sutra. He offering Kaede and Higurashi-san a sheepish grin while politely dismissing their apologies.

And of course, Momiji and Botan were so dazzled by Yoh's smile that they ended up glomping the boy. Botan threw herself into Yoh's arms, rubbing her cheek into his chest while Momiji wrapped her arms around him from behind.

Souta sweatdropped from the background, _'They're never coming back after this, are they?'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome finally opened her eyes around mid-afternoon. The familiar color of her bedroom ceiling was an instant comfort. The last thing that she remembered was the sear of Sesshomaru's touch. _'I guess, we did it,'_ she surmised with a soft sigh. _'Well... **he** did it,'_ she corrected herself. She had no collection of what happened when she and Sesshomaru merged, which meant that she ended up possessed. It explained why she felt so groggy. The priestess sighed again and turned to lay on her side, only to be greeted by the sight of Yoh asleep in a chair at her bedside.

The slumbering shaman lightly snored as he slept with his head hung back and mouth wide open. A stream of drool trailed from the edge of his lips down to his chin.

 _'Was he waiting for me to wake up?'_ Kagome wondered to herself as she slowly sat up. Her legs swung over the edge of the bed as she sat up and faced the sleeping boy. His face looked so peaceful, like he didn't have a care in the world. And yet, here he was. _'Looks like he worries more than he lets on.'_ Kagome smiled fondly at the shaman as she leaned forward.

"Hey, Yoh-kun~" She sang in a soft voice as her finger found his cheek. But the shaman did not stir. "Yoh-kun," She poked his cheek again. "Yooooooh-kun." Kagome poked the tip of his nose. She then pushed her finger up, lifting the tip of his nose and flaring his nostrils out wide. "Pfffft," The girl snickered. "He looks like a pig," she noted with an amused, mischievous smile.

Manta then appeared in the doorway, "Yoh-kun, did Kagome-chan wa—Ack!"

Kagome stiffened then froze in place.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"...we don't speak of this," Kagome finally stated.

Manta placed a hand over his mouth to hide the devious grin that broke out on his face. "Make me an offer," he countered.

"...I'll make you three obento next week."

"Sweeten the pot."

"...okay. I'll make you an obento for the entire week," the priestess huffed. "Final offer."

The blond's grin never left his face, even after he nodded to the girl, "Deal."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The entire Higurashi family saw the three teens off at the top of the stairs. Higurashi-san embraced her daughter before smiling another silent thanks to her friends. "Kagome, here's some leftover groceries. Make sure to cook the vegetables soon or they'll go bad."

Kagome opened the plastic bag and looked at the contents. There was an assortment of meat and vegetables inside. It hardly looked like left-overs. The priestess then smiled at her mom and said, "Thanks, Mama. I'll cook something hearty tonight."

Yoh and Manta were surprised when Souta gave them both tight hugs. "Next time you come over, you two should play some videogames with me! I'm sure you're a lot more fun than Nee-san."

Kagome twitched when her younger brother stuck his tongue out at her. She huffed and crossed her arms, "You're just jealous that I'm better than you."

After a few choice words between the siblings and some silent threats whispered to the boys from Kagome's grandfather, the trio were finally ready to go—or so they thought.

Momiji and Botan sent them off with teary eyes, the twins proclaiming their everlasting and undying love to Yoh and Manta. Manta merely paled and shrunk away from them as Yoh just offered a care-free grin and friendly farewell.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"My house isn't far from here so you guys can head home now," Kagome told her friends as they crossed the street. The dark curtain of nightfall had fallen not too long ago. "I promise that I won't get lost~" She added in a light-hearted tone.

"Yeah, but we're still coming with you," Yoh responded, his voice laidback. "Right, Manta?"

Manta nodded and smiled, "Mmhm. I'm sure that you won't get lost. But Yoh-kun has been so worried since this morn—!"

The shaman's cheeks lit up as he threw the blond an incredulous look. "H-hey! You were just as worried as I was, Manta!" He shot back while pointing at the shorter boy.

Kagome then leaned close to Yoh and gently nudged him in the ribs, "But, Yoh-kun~ Aren't _you_ the one who watched over me as I slept?"

"Yeah, you should have seen what she did to your face while you were sleeping," Manta added but slapping his hand over his mouth.

All three teens froze on the spot.

 _'Oh… Shit. I-it just...slipped,'_ Manta thought as his smile became nervous and wide, his eyes dropping to the ground as he began to sweat heavily. _'S-She's going to kill me.'_

A few moments of awkward silence passed.

Yoh then asked, his voice unusually shaky and reluctant, "W-What...what did you do to my face?"

Kagome was suddenly standing away from them with a completely innocent look on her face. She tapped her chin while looking up at the starry night sky, "Hmm, whatever do you mean?" She asked. "I don't recall anything strange to your face. It's all so fuzzy…"

The shaman then sighed in relief, his shoulders slumping a bit, "Oh, good. It was Manta's wild imagination."

Manta shot an incredulous look up at his friend, _'H-He actually fell for that act?!'_

Amidamaru then appeared next to Kagome. He smiled brightly while holding up a finger, "Don't worry, Kagome-sama. I remember it perfectly. You were playing with Yoh-dono's nose." The spirit was largely oblivious to how Kagome's innocent farse cracked as she glowered at him. "You laughed and said he looked like a pig."

"Wah! A pig?!" Yoh slapped his hands to cheeks and then felt all over his face for human features. He looked at Manta with a panicked expression, "Manta, have I transformed into a pig-human monster?!"

Feeling proud and satisfied that he aided the girl, the samurai spirit turned a smile to her, expecting a heart-felt thanks, only to find the priestess surrounded by a dark aura and a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Amidamaru-sama," Kagome whispered. "I'll never forgive you, not in a thousand years."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The next day at school, Manta found himself doing something that he hadn't done in quite a while. He was sitting alone at his desk while waiting for homeroom to start. _'Where on earth could they be?'_ he wondered to himself before sighing and settling for laying his head down on his desk. Class would start in less than ten minutes, and neither of his friends had shown up yet.

This was common for the young Asakura because Yoh was casually late to class on a consistent basis. But Kagome usually came to school as early as he did. They usually had plenty of time to chat before classes began. Moreover, Manta lived a few blocks northeast of Kagome so he often waited in front of a specific coffee shop for her. She would always be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed even that early in the morning. It was a stark contrast to Yoh's sluggish demeanor, which Manta was grateful for. He wouldn't know what to do if he had to deal with _two_ lazy friends.

Without realizing it, the morning walk to school with Kagome became something that Manta looked forward to. She was always so happy to see him. And whatever they chatted about, from small-talk to things about the supernatural, it all came so naturally and easily with her.

But today, she never showed up at that spot. At first Manta deduced that she was running late because she slept in from her ordeal with Sesshomaru.

So he waited...and waited, and waited.

He noticed more and more faces of punctual, but not early, students passing him by. He then cursed sped off to school, futilely hoping that they missed each other somehow.

Now here he was, sitting alone at his desk with no one to talk to. His old associates stopped talking to him ever since he became friends with Yoh and Kagome. Manta was unsure if it was because they were weird, or because he finally found his own true friends.

In his rare moment of solitude, Manta could not help but notice how his life was changing ever since he had met Kagome and Yoh. Just as quickly as his days became more fun and action-filled, they equally became more mysterious. Sometimes there was even a sense of danger. Sure, he was afraid of getting hurt or losing his life while getting caught up in their supernatural shenanigans. But if he had the choice to go back in time and stop himself from ever meeting them…

He would choose to meet them over and over again. The danger was a small price to pay to be surrounded by such amazing people who opened his eyes to a whole new world. Manta smiled while staring down at his notebook where he wrote out three names and circled them. _'Huh...Why am I getting all sentimental all of a sudden?'_

"Boo!"

"Ack!" Manta nearly fell out of his seat. His classmates looked up and shared a short burst of laughter at his expense. Yoh had suddenly popped up into his face while he was completely zoned out. The shaman grinned and leaned back, standing up at his full height. "Damn it!" Manta shouted while pointing a shaking finger at Yoh, "Don't do things like that!"

"Now now," Yoh grinned, trying to pacify his fuming friend. "Don't be such a scaredy-cat…"

Manta cooled down then looked at the clock, seeing that Yoh was here.

Class would start in two minutes…

Another oddity: Asakura Yoh was actually on time for school on his own accord.

"Where could Kagome-chan be?" Manta wondered aloud. The question was both directed at Yoh and himself.

"Maybe she's still resting up after yesterday," Yoh offered with a light shrug. "I know I would be," he added while crossing his arms behind his head.

Manta sighed again before giving Yoh a befuddled face, "You worry about Kagome-chan more than anyone else. How can you put on such a nonchalant face in a time like this?"

"Ah," Yoh blinked. He placed a hand on Manta's desk while leaning over a bit. "It's because there's no use in panicking or stressing about a problem that hasn't presented itself yet," He explained easily. "Besides, if Kagome-chan were truly in trouble, I'm sure that we'd sense it."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

When did Manta become such a worrywart? Sure, he had always been a "scaredy-cat" as some people put it… But since when was he a worrywart? As soon as they were dismissed from their lessons, Yoh and Manta headed to Kagome's house in an unspoken agreement. Along the way, Manta pulled out his friendship phone and called her cell. After several rings, Kagome's voice answered from the other end.

"Hello?" She asked in her usual bubbly tone.

Manta instantly felt his worries melt away from the sound of his friend's voice. He smiled and responded, "Kagome-chan, it's me, Manta."

"Oh hi~" Kagome replied, her voice was as sweet as sugar.

"Well, Yoh-kun and I are—" Manta tried to explain that they intended to visit her, but Kagome quickly interrupted him.

"Wait, wait, wait. Before you say anything, I have to tell you—"

"What Kago—?"

"I have missed your call. This is Kagome, leave me a message," Kagome's voice announced.

"What's up, Manta?"

The blond abruptly stopped walking, his face caught in a stunned expression.

"What did she say?" Yoh asked curiously. "Manta? Oiiiii, Manta."

Finally, Manta's right eye twitched with annoyance.

It was the exact same scenario with her damn voicemail.

Manta brushed that aside and choose to call her again as they continued making their way to her house. It was the same end result, except the voicemail did not fool him this time.

Ten minutes later, they found themselves standing in front of Kagome's tiny home. Yoh pressed his finger against the doorbell and heard a faint chime resounding inside. After a minute of antsy waiting, Manta reached for the doorknob and twisted it. "Ah," Manta blinked from the knob's lack of resistance. "Figures," he stated while pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Yoh and Amidamaru quietly followed Manta inside, their eyes scoping out the interior as Manta scoured for any signs of Kagome. The shaman quietly took in how quaint and simple the decor was. The walls were painted a neutral beige. The ceiling was low and the walls felt so close together. Unlike the Higurashi house, there were no family photographs to see. The living room and dining room bled together into one indistinguishable space.

This truly was a space for one, a space for a lonely one.

The Asakura expected the interior to be a pastel pink or blue with a floral motif. He expected something lively and attractively feminine, something that suited Kagome's presence. But what he got was a place with living essentials without a touch of the priestess' personality. There was a kotatsu with cushions in front of a small television, but that was all.

This small house was not a home.

Somehow, he could not imagine Kagome truly living in this place.

"Hm," Yoh's eyes fell on a small hallway that led to the kitchen. On either side of the hall were two doors that he guessed to be the bathroom and her bedroom. Without giving it much thought, the shaman headed towards the hall that Manta already checked. He opened the door on the left and discovered the simple, tiny bathroom. That just left the door on the right. He placed his hand on the doorknob and twisted it slowly.

"Ah, Yoh-kun," Manta stated as he left the kitchen and met his friend in the hall. "That's her bedroom. She's not in there," he told him. "Guess she stepped out. I wonder where she could be," the boy wondered while pulling out his phone again. "I could try calling her again—eh!" Manta froze when he noticed that Yoh's hand was still on the doorknob. "Why are you just standing there like that?" he questioned while narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Yoh then scratched his cheek with his free hand and replied sheepishly, "I...still kinda wanna look."

Manta blinked when his friend pushed the door open and stepped inside of the bedroom. It was the sole room that had splashes of color and personality. The bed was made up of pastel blue sheets and blankets, complete with decorative pillows. There was a fuzzy pink area rug in the center of the floor and a small desk and chair for studying near the window. The walls were painted the same neutral shade as the other rooms, but they were adorned by colorful wall stickers.

Manta watched his friend take in the details of the room and asked curiously, "So are you able to track Kagome-chan using one of her personal possessions or something?"

"Eh?" The shaman looked over his shoulder. He then turned to face Manta, grinning widely while admitting, "Nah. I was just curious."

The shorter teen found himself shrinking away from his friend, a mortified look on his face, "Yoh-kun, just what type of person are you?" he questioned.

Yoh did not seem fazed by the question. He simply exited the room, closing the door behind him. "The curious type?" he asked back as they headed towards the front door.

Manta shrugged and shook his head. Even now, he had a difficult time figuring Yoh out sometimes. That was when he suddenly got a brilliant idea. The blond looked around before calling out, "Amidamaru!" The samurai spirit immediately revealed his presence, making Manta smile.

"You called me, Manta-dono?" The man asked while looking down at his summoner.

"I did," he nodded affirmatively. "Can you fly around the area and see if you can spot Kagome-chan? You should be able to get a good vantage point from up above."

"Of course, Manta-dono," The samurai smiled at the request, thumping his fist against his chest. The spirit looked at his partner for approval, to which Yoh nodded and grinned. "I'll even search the areas she'd most likely get lost in."

"Report back in an hour." Amidamaru nodded and took to the air to get a good view of the area. Manta then turned to Yoh and asked, "We should continue our search too."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Amidamaru soared through the Tokyo skies, skimming the ground for any sign of the missing priestess. With a bird's eye view of the area, the spirit found the girl in record-breaking time. Kagome-sama!" He yelled from above to get her attention. The said girl looked up into the sky with a puzzled expression, wondering why she heard someone call her name from above.

Kagome rose from her seat on the park bench and cupped her hands together faithfully then inquired the distant voice from above, "Is that you, God?"

"Eh?!" The spirit was thrown off and plummeted to the ground.

"Oh," The priestess's hands fell to her sides. "It's just you, Amidamaru-sama."

"Y-Yeah," Amidamaru chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "It's just me."

"So what are you doing here anyway?" Kagome inquired, tilting her head a bit. "I don't see Yoh-kun anywhere around here," she noted while looking left and right.

"Yoh-dono and Manta-dono are the reason why I'm here," Amidamaru informed her. "I received the mission to find you because they are worried about your wellbeing."

Kagome took her seat on the bench and patted a spot next to her. The samurai took her up on her silent offer. "They were worried that much?" She asked. "Well, I feel a little guilty knowing that. But, as you can see, I'm doing just fine~"

"It would seem that they were worried that you did not come to school, and when they went to visit you, you were not at home either," Amidamaru explained to the girl.

"Mm, I can understand that," Kagome stated more to herself than to the spirit beside her. She sighed softly and looked up at the sky. "I didn't mean to worry them. I guess, I just got lost in thought."

Amidamaru stole a glance at the girl. She was unusually quiet and introspective. Usually, the girl was all smiles or shouts, but now, she seemed smaller than normal. "Care you to speak your mind, Kagome-sama?"

"Well…" even her voice came out softer than usual. "Where should I start?" Kagome asked herself. "I just… I just can't stop thinking about that spirit, Sesshomaru," She confessed. "I think I know how Yoh-kun felt when he was determined to make you his guardian spirit. Somehow, I want to get to know him so we can become friends. It feels like him and me, as partners...like we're meant to be." The priestess kept her eyes aimed at the sky above, either too embarrassed to look at Amidamaru during her confession or too deep into her confession to do anything else. "I was so excited when he said he would join with me…But…It was not quite what I expected."

"That is because he possessed you, you two did not become one," Amidamaru explained simply.

"Yeah…" She whispered. "I think we could be good partners if we were on the same wave link… So…I've been thinking about going back there…to meet him again."

Amidamaru closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he contemplated the girl's words. "Hm… I can not bring myself to tell you not to, Kagome-sama, for you remind me of Yoh-dono right now. If he had not been so persistent, then I wouldn't feel the happiness that I do now. I would still be a lonely soul bound to this world by regret." He stopped speaking for a moment then continued, "However, because you're a priestess, you have a strong bond to the spirit realm, so you perceive the feelings and actions of spirits on a higher level than an ordinary human… So you must be careful."

"In other words," Kagome said. "Be careful because Sesshomaru and I are as tangible to each other as I am to the living," the priestess paraphrased before smiling at the spirit next to her.

"Indeed. You are very wise, Kagome-sama," Amidamaru compliment softly.

"More knowledgeable than wise…" The girl responded. "But thank you."

Amidamaru nodded solemnly before standing up, "I must be going now; it is about time that I return to Yoh-dono." He looked at Kagome and asked, "Shall I deliver the good news to them?"

Kagome nodded and told him, "Yeah, you can tell them that I'm alright. I'll even text them~" With that said, the girl reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. _'O-Oops…'_ She thought as she stared at the missed-call notifications on the screen. _'How did I not hear those calls?'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The color of the afternoon sky had gradually faded to darker tones as night approached. _'I wonder if they're going to watch the stars today…'_ Kagome thought as she idly swung her legs. A few hours had passed since she had spoken with Amidamaru and the girl was still in mulling about the area in a haze. _'I want to see them, together.'_

The girl then pulled out her phone, acting on her sudden desire. She entered the group chat with her two friends and typed to them, _"It'll be a clear night. Anyone up for stargazing?"_ Her wait for a reply was not long, as her phone chimed back-to-back a few moments later.

 _"Heading to cram school so I'll pass for now. I'll catch up with you afterward"_ , Manta replied.

Yoh's text came soon after Manta's, _"On my way. See ya soon."_

Kagome placed her hand over her mouth to hide her smile at the texts. It almost felt like her friends were right there with her. She looked at the sky again. It was a wide, cobalt canvas where the distant twinkle of the stars were slowly fading into view. She smiled as she got to her feet, "Looks like tonight's stars will be as lovely as ever~"

"If you think such a sky is acceptable, then you are a fool," an unfamiliar voice suddenly whipped back. Kagome gasped softly and looked in the direction of the voice. Several meters away there was a lanky, unlit light pole. Standing on top of the pole was a teenage boy. His features were obscured by the distance, but she could sense a great spiritual power from him.

 _'This guy isn't an ordinary human,'_ The priestess told herself before adding, _'As if standing on top of a pole wasn't a clue.'_ If anything, his aura was most similar to Yoh's. But this boy...his energy carried a heavy air of darkness with it. Kagome unconsciously held her breath. She had not felt this uneasy since her encounter with the angry spirit of the painter.

This person gave Kagome a bad feeling, but…

She could still picture Yoh trying to befriend him. Her friend usually pulled crazy stunts and approached volatile individuals without discrimination or fear. He did that, and things usually worked out in the end. That thought alone was enough to calm the girl's nerves.

"Actually, I know of a great spot where you can get a better view!" Kagome called over to the boy, "You can come wit…" The boy suddenly looked away from the sky and turned his gaze to her. Kagome's voice died in her throat as she stared into molten poles that seemed to glow against the darkening sky.

"Hmph." The golden-eyed boy jumped from the pole and landed gracefully on the ground. "If you think I came here to play house, you're mistaken," he replied in a low voice as he slowly approached the girl.

Kagome tensed and suspiciously eyed the stranger as he came closer. He wore a yellow school uniform that she had never seen before. His deep purple hair was topped with a tongari. His eyes were frigid as he passed her. "Enjoy your headphone boy while you can. I'm coming for him," the boy whispered as their paths crossed.

It was then that Kagome remembered the nightmare that she had recently. _'An apex predator with golden eyes?!'_ A sense of dread filled her before she quickly turned to question the boy, only to find no visible trace of him.

With a new sense of urgency, Kagome pulled out her phone again and called Yoh. He answered relatively quickly. Without giving the boy a chance to speak, Kagome yelled into the phone, "Yoh-kun, it's an emergency! Hurry to the usual spot, I'll be there soon!"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The main downside to being friends with Kagome and Yoh was that they made life a little too fun. Their presence made something as simple as walking into an exciting activity where he got to laugh. So of course, walking to cram school alone was boring. Knowing that his best friends were going to watch the stars in their usual spot was enough to tempt Manta to ditch class. It would be so easy. And it would a lot more fun than toting around gigantic textbooks and listening to more lectures.

Manta shook the thoughts from his head. _'Don't think like that, Manta! Yoh-kun already has the underachiever slot filled!'_ He could not afford to slack off the way Yoh did. He was not like Yoh and Kagome. He did not have special powers where he could work in a profession that did not involve math and the hard sciences. Once he grew up, he would have to return to the real world.

Botan's voice suddenly came back to him.

_"Upon adulthood, your life will become very mundane and a little boring."_

Was a boring world like this one the real one?

Or was it the world of wonder that his friends showed him?

Was he truly destined to leave such a free world behind in the future? Or—.

"Eh?" Manta blinked and picked his head up. Just as he was about to enter the crosswalk with the other pedestrians, he felt something. The boy was suddenly frozen in place.

Time seemed to stand still for a few moments.

Manta watched awed and shocked at the sight of a boy stepping out into the street against a red light. A speeding truck blared its horn as it raced towards the boy. It showed no sign of slowing down.

With one swift, fluid movement the boy swung a bladed pole weapon as the truck went by, slicing through the metal as if it were wet paper. The two halves of the vehicle fell on their sides, crashing into anything and everything in their way.

 _'W-What…?'_ Manta thought shakily with widened eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing! He looked around and found no sign of the boy. ' _Where did he go?!'_

"Looking for me?" an unfamiliar voice inquired cooly.

The shaking teen spun around and gasped. Within the blink of an eye, the boy somehow ended up standing directly behind him. "W-What… What are you?" Manta could not help but ask.

"Deliver a message to Asakura Yoh for me," The boy ordered, his tone was stoney and absolute. "Tell him that there's only room for one shaman in Tokyo."

"Wha—?" Manta blinked, and the boy was gone. "Who was he…?" He asked as his heart pounded in his chest. That was it. This was an emergency. There was no way that he could go to cram school.

 _'And if he knows that I'm Yoh-kun's friend, then he must know about Kagome-chan…'_ The boy thought as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome huffed before scowling down at Yoh as he sprawled himself across the grass. Even after she explained her encounter with the strange boy, her friend did not seem concerned. His immediate reaction was, "Ah? Enjoy your time with me? Maybe he plans to replace you~"

The priestess placed her hands on her hips as she added, "Yoh-kun, you need to take this more seriously! He said that he's coming for you!" Her tone was urgent and pleading as she elaborated, "That's not something a future friend would say! And I can't shake this bad feeling. I think I had a dream about him…"

"A dream?" The shaman asked while peeking an eye open. A playful smile danced on his lips, "Maybe he's the man of your dreams that Botan mentioned~"

Amidamaru appeared, a concerned expression on his face, "Yoh-dono, I don't think it's wise to tease Kagome-sama like—Oh, too late." The samurai spirit sweatdropped when the priestess's aura flared.

"Oh!" Yoh suddenly popped up at the sound of his phone chiming. "That's Manta's ring tone." He pressed the answer button and held the phone to his cheek, "What's up, Manta?"

"Yoh-kun! Where are you right now?! Is Kagome-chan with you?!" Manta responded between panicked pants.

"Yeah, Kagome-chan is with me," Yoh replied calmly while side glancing at Kagome's now curious face. "I thought you had extra lessons right about now."

"I do, but I'm skipping prep school today! It's an emergency!" Manta told him.

Kagome blinked at how Yoh's expression suddenly went from laidback to serious. He asked, "What happened, Manta? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Manta said in response to the second question. "But I'm afraid for you, Yoh-kun! It seems that there's someone just like you here in Tokyo and he has it out for you."

"Someone like me?" Yoh blinked, tilting his head a bit. "You mean like a twin?" he inquired.

Manta suddenly yelled into the phone, "NO! Like another shaman!"

Even Kagome had heard that statement. She quickly grabbed the phone from the somehow still confused Yoh and stated, "Manta-kun, hurry over here! You might be in danger too!"

"Right, I'm already on my way," Manta responded. "I'll be there soon so be careful!"

Kagome nodded, "Yeah, you too. Actually, do you want to come pick you up?"

"It's fine. Stay with Yoh-kun. He's the primary target here. Just call me if anything changes."

"Will do. Stay safe," Kagome said before the two ended their call.

"So how's my twin doing?" Yoh asked curiously. This earned him a bonk on the head from Kagome.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Yoh-kun!" Kagome chastised with another huff.

Yoh moaned and rubbed his head, "But I wasn't…"

That was when Amidamaru appeared before them and stated seriously, "Kagome-sama is right, Yoh-dono. Surely you must sense that immense dark aura approaching too."

"Of course I do," Yoh said before smiling reassuringly. "My twin is just downstairs, at the bottom of the cemetery."

Kagome gasped and when something dawned upon her, "Along with a few others! I think I sense Ryu of the Wooden Sword down there too! And their auras are flaring up!"

Yoh then slowly stood up and dusted his pants off. He turned to his guardian spirit and stated calmly, "Well then. Let's go, Amidamaru." The samurai spirit nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's play it safe this time," Kagome agreed as she began following behind him.

But in response, Yoh shook his head negatively, "Actually, I'd like it if you stayed here where it's safe, Kagome-chan." His solemn expression did waver even when Kagome was suddenly in his face with a displeased look.

"No way I'm staying here while you run off to play shaman hero!" Kagome protested. Yoh had expected that she would say that and he only chuckled a bit. "Don't laugh! I'm totally serious about this!"

Yoh then met her eyes and stifling another chuckle as he stated calmly, "So am I."

Kagome blushed and immediately turned away, hiding how warm her face suddenly felt.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Damn…" Ryu cursed when he fell flat on his butt. "What's with this kid?" he snarled to himself. In seconds, all of his followers had been single-handedly defeated by the mysterious child. He and his gang planned to teach the brat a lesson for stepping foot on their territory, but they ended up sprawled across the ground.

Ryu flinched then paled when the boy pointed the blade of his kwandao towards his face. In the dark of night, it was gleaming with a silent thirst for blood.

"Tell me where Asakura Yoh is hiding and I might spare your life," the younger teen spat.

"You are a formidable opponent…" Ryu said coolly. His calm demeanor did not reflect how frightened he truly was. "As you must know, I am Ryu of the Wooden Sword. What's your name, kid?" He asked while catching the golden eyes in a heated stare.

"I'll only repeat myself once more," the boy stated irritably. "Where is Asakura Yoh?!" The boy's warning came with a swift slice of Ryu's pompadour.

Ryu gasped and paled even more when a portion of his hair fell to the ground. This was the second time than an unusually strong child tarnished his pride and joy.

"If you won't tell me, then you can just die." With no more patience to spare, the boy drew back his weapon and thrust it straight at Ryu's face. The gangster instinctively shut his eyes and waited for the end.

But it never came.

"Asakura Yoh…" the boy said in a low tone as he looked over his shoulder at the person who grabbed hold of his kwandao. "So you finally decided to show your face."

Yoh smiled and replied, "Maybe I should have come earlier. You seem a bit impatient."

"Enough small talk," the boy shot back as he turned around to face Yoh. "I presume you know what I came here for."

"How about you start with your name?" Yoh asked calmly, "We can still be civil here."

"I am Tao Ren." Ren yanked his weapon away from the Asakura. He then looked past Yoh to Amidamaru and smirked. "I see you at least have a good tool."

Yoh narrowed his eyes and replied as calmly as he could, "If you're referring to Amidamaru, then I suggest you rephrase that. He is my friend, not a tool."

Ren laughed heartily at Yoh's declaration. "Your friend?" the Tao repeated in an amused tone. "Did you hear that, Bason?" On cue, Ren's guardian spirit made his presence known.

Bason was a massive spirit whose size was only rivaled by his aura. The spirit leered at Amidamaru with glowing red eyes through his helmet. He was covered in ancient Chinese armor. This spirit was the spitting image of intimidation.

The air of challenge and contempt that Ren and Bason gave off straightened Yoh's face. His eyes never left the other shaman, even as he asked Ryu to get to safety.

Ryu nodded vigorously and complied by rushing off to hide in some nearby bushes.

"What the—?" Ryu asked once he was finally undercover. "What are you going here, Kagome-chan?! Shouldn't you be somewhere safer?!" asked of the blue-eyed girl squatting down next to him.

"Ssh!" the school girl replied while putting her pointer against her lips. "You're too loud."

Ryu nodded before asking in a lower volume, "Those kids—they aren't normal, are they?! And what are those men doing behind them?!"

Kagome's eyes widened. She looked at the older teen and queried, "You mean you can see Amidamaru-sama and Bason?!"

"Of course, I can. They're as clear as day." Ryu replied. "Ever since I've fought Asakura those two times…" His voice became even quieter. "I've been feeling different."

"I see… Well, since you're already a witness," Kagome began explaining slowly, unsure if she should share that information with Ryu. "Yoh-kun and Tao-san, they're both shamans. They're humans that can bond with spirits and take on their power… As you can see, Amidamaru-sama and Bason aren't living people," She said nothing else because she was too fixed on watching Yoh and Ren.

Yoh grabbed Ryu's wooden sword that was sitting against his motorbike and said as he looked over to the bush, "Ryu, I'm going to borrow this, okay?"

Ryu stood up and replied, "O-okay!" Kagome did not know why but she followed Ryu's lead and stood up as well.

"Yoh-kun! Be careful!" Kagome called to him. "That guy is dangerous!" She eyed the curved blade on Ren's kwandao. It was not a tool for practice like the wooden sword. It was a weapon for maiming and killing. Before she could say anything else, Ryu pulled the girl down back into the bushes.

"Kagome-chan, it would be best if you just laid low with us," Manta stated from her other side.

"You're right, Manta-kun…" Kagome said absently. "Eh—? When did you get here?!" she asked.

"Actually, that's a good question" Ryu stated from her right.

"That's not important right now," Manta said. "I'm afraid for Yoh-kun. That guy, Tao Ren, I saw him cut a truck in two!"

"What?!" Kagome and Ryu gasped in unison.

And then it began, a fight between Tao Ren and Asakura Yoh.

It was the first fight between shamans that the three of them had ever witnessed.


	7. The Great Dog Demon and the Chinese Warrior (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoh defeats Ren after their second duel. Manta and Kagome meet his fiancee Kyoyama Anna. Yoh begins intensive shaman training.

**The Great Dog Demon and the Chinese Warrior**

**(Part II)**

Ren was the first to go into the offensive with Bason and his kwandao. He leaped into the air for an overhead strike at Yoh. The Asakura met the attack with the wooden sword. Yoh clenched his teeth. In the midst of their power struggle, the Asakura could see into his opponent's eyes. This was the first time that he had seen such unbridled rage and hatred in another shaman's eyes. These were the eyes of a tormented soul who only knew pain and bloodshed.

The smirk on Ren's lips was arrogant and knowing. It told of a sure-fire victory.

With a grunt, Yoh pushed Ren back and jumped out of his range.

"Tao Ren," Yoh spoke as he and Ren locked eyes again, "I believe that evil people can not see spirits, so you must be not evil. You've just been misguided."

Despite his words, the Asakura readily met Ren's next attack head-on. Wood met metal as the weapons clashed.

"Misguided?" The smirk on Ren's face never left. "The true misguided fool will be the loser of this battle," the Tao stated as he and Yoh continued to swing and slash at each other. "The winner's ideals are obviously the superior ones, don't you agree?"

Yoh did not answer. He held his sword out in front of him and asked back, "Tao Ren, why have you come to Tokyo? What is your true objective?" A frontal assault followed the questions.

Ren side-stepped Yoh and turned to counterattack. Yoh held his sword horizontally to block the attack. "To cleanse this filthy world and restore its glory!" Ren shot back. "The fading stars are proof that this world has lost its way!"

The shamans met each other face to face as they ended up locked in another match of strength, each trying to overpower the other. Their objectives and ideals were on the line.

"Stars are lights that guide us, and those who lose sight of that light become corrupted and need to be destroyed!" Ren won the match as he pushed Yoh back with his kwandao's pole.

Ren pointed the tip of his weapon at Yoh, but his tone was sharper than any blade, "You as a shaman should know that! Spirits are merely tools given to shamans to fulfill their duty!" The Tao scoffed, a disgusted look on his face, "And you, a foolish shaman who calls his tool a friend, deserves to die with the rest of filth!"

"The only fool here is the one who does not respect spirits!" Yoh countered as he charged at Ren.

Hidden behind a row of bushes, Kagome, Manta, and Ryu intently watched the fight. "Say, Kagome-chan," Manta suddenly broke the silence between them. "As a priestess, you have a feel of their power levels, right? Who do you think will win?"

Kagome was silent for a moment. Both Ryu and Manta looked at Kagome expectantly. "Well…Based on raw power alone, Tao Ren has the upper hand…" she told them, not noticing how the two stiffened at the news. "And it seems like he also has more skill and training than Yoh-kun, so…" She dared not speak her thoughts. She did not want to put that possibility out into the universe.

"What are you saying?!" Manta asked worriedly. "Yoh-kun and Amidamaru stands a chance against that guy, don't they?!" Manta shook Kagome's shoulder and asked persistently, "don't they?!"

"If that Yoh kid doesn't win, then we're all screwed," Ryu chimed in, sweating nervously.

Kagome ignored Ryu and nodded in Manta's direction, "Of course, they stand a chance. If they didn't, I'm pretty sure Tao-san would have taken them out by now."

Ryu and Manta suddenly gasped sharply, causing Kagome to snap her head back towards the battle. She looked up just in time to see Ren take a step back and call out, "Bason!"

Bason grunted in response. They unleashed a furious barrage from the kwandao, "Chuuka Zanmai!" Yoh was stuck in striking range.

"He can't dodge that attack!" Ryu shouted, his eyes widening in horror.

Amidamaru called to his partner, "If we can not avoid it, then we must strike it down!" Yoh leaped over the blade and bared down with his katana. The clash of weapons ended the storming kwandao's rampage.

Yoh distanced him from Ren and briefly glance over his shoulder. A nearby motorbike was cleanly sliced in two by his opponent's attack. _'If that had been me…'_ A nervous sweat ran down his neck.

Ren growled and glared at Yoh down, _'He thwarted my attack?!'_ Just the sight of a weak shaman like him was sickening—infuriating. This fool was truly weak. And yet, he was still able to stop his technique. Finally, he could understand his father's warning...

_"Do not underestimate the Asakura family…"_

Yoh created more distance between them in anticipation. He watched the Tao inhaled deeply. With a calmer demeanor, he declared, "Asakura Yoh, I have been chosen to become Shaman King."

 _'Shaman King?'_ Yoh's expression hardened at the claim.

"As such, I'm the only shaman needed in Tokyo," the Tao stated. "You should just disappear."

"Shaman King, huh…?" Yoh's eyes narrowed. "So that's what you're after…"

"Hmph, playtime is over," Ren declared as he got into an offensive stance. "Bason! Hyoi 100%!"

Kagome gasped, jumping to her feet to call out to her friend," Yoh-kun, watch out! His power just increased immensely!" The sound of the priestess' voice drew Yoh's eyes to her.

"Asakura! Keep your eyes on your enemy!" Ren chastised as his body towards Yoh like a human bullet. Yoh quickly faced Ren, holding his sword up in a guard stance. "That's useless!" A ruthless pole bash sent Yoh flying back-first into a tombstone.

"Yoh-kun!" Kagome and Manta resounded in unison.

Yoh gathered his bearings as quickly as he could. With clenched teeth, he shook the stars away from his visions. When he looked up, his cloudy eyes met blood-thirsty ones. Yoh hurried to his feet. "Goodbye, Asakura Yoh!" Ren said as he took a step back. "CHUUKA ZANMAI!"

 _'No…'_ Kagome's inner voice was in disbelief, her horrified eyes widened.

The attack was launched but the blade never touched Yoh.

_'It can't be…'_

But still, Yoh was struck by sheer power. Blood spewed from his shoulder before his body slumped to the ground, motionless.

"You were a waste of my time," Ren sneered, eyeing the fallen shaman with disdain. "You and I—We're on two completely different levels as shamans." With cold eyes, he raised his kwandao for the killing blow, "I might as well end your pathetic life right now. Say hello to your 'friend' in the next world."

"Yoh-kun!" Kagome cried out as she raced to her friend's side.

Manta and Ryu were mortified but followed her lead. The older teen yelled at her, "Wait! That kid will slaughter you!"

"Kagome-chan! Wait a minute!" Manta pleaded as his heart thumped in his ears.

Kagome ignored their pleas and warnings as she skidded to a stop between Ren and Yoh. "That's far enough!" The priestess spat as she glared at the Tao. "This needs to stop," she hissed in a loud whisper.

"Hmm?" Ren's smirk was amused. "The weak girl from before. Look at you, you're trembling," he almost laughed on the spot. The sight of her small, shaking shoulders was almost enough to strike pity. "I have no qualms on sending two fools to their gra—."

The clap of skin resounded as an open palm slapped across unsuspecting flesh. Kagome was heaving as she retracted her arm and straightened her posture.

The spectators and Ren alike were stunned into silence.

The Tao was floored, but unharmed.

The slap damaged his ego, not his body.

Upon recovery, the Tao growled while turning his head back. His lips spat venom as his hands gripped his weapon, "Insolent worm…!"

The rage bubbling in Ren's eyes brought made Kagome realize what she had done, and the consequences.

The new few moments seemed to play out in slow motion.

The shouts and warnings from Manta and Ryu did not reach her ears.

The priestess flinched. But nothing could prepare Kagome for being struck in the head. She was instantly knocked unconscious and fell into Ryu's awaiting arms. He hoisted the girl onto a motorbike and made a hasty retreat with his followers and her friends in tow.

Ren watched them speed away with a scowl. "Tch." He was in no rush at the moment. Yoh escaping only meant that he could relish in his defeat even longer.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The emergency clinic was stuffed to the brim with teenagers that night. The presence of obvious gangsters alerted no one, as this was the clinic that they usually went to be patched up. Ryu looked down at Manta. The younger teen was sitting on the edge of his seat with hands folded in his lap. His thumbs anxiously danced with each other as his eyes stayed glued to the floor.

Like a dart that hit a bullseye, a twang of guilt embedded itself in Ryu's heart. Sure, his gang and Manta's friends had their differences and their squabbles in the past… But that did not change that Ryu could empathize with how the boy felt. Manta reminded Ryu of himself whenever one of his gang was seriously injured.

The older teen put on a calm face and stated, "Your friends will be fine for now. The doctor on duty is a really good one. I told him that they were in a bike accident." He then grinned and added, "But I'm not sure how much he'll believe that."

Manta looked up at Ryu and gave him a weak but appreciative smile, "Thanks for everything, Ryu."

Ryu nodded and explained, "I owe Asakura that much, he saved my life after all…" He then leaned back in his seat and looked up at the sterile white ceiling, "But something still bugs me about that Tao kid…"

"What is it?" Manta inquired. It was surprising enough that Ryu could see spirits. But the fact that he readily accepted the existence of humans with special powers was also amazing.

"He kept talking about how Tokyo only needs one shaman," Ryu responded. "And he mentioned something about a 'shaman king'. He must have come to Tokyo with the intention to kill anyone who stands in the way of that."

"Yeah...I thought about that too," Manta nodded slightly. "There's still a lot of that I don't know about the world of shamans. But Yoh-kun seemed to understand him, so I guess…" He trailed off then shook his head. "No, there's more important matters right now."

That was when Ryu sighed and stood up, his followers immediately mirrored his movements as they walked towards the exit. "Well then, let's just thank the gods for now," Ryu said as he stood on the sensor mat on the floor. As the automated doors parted, he gave Manta a request, "Give Asakura my gratitude."

"Thanks, Ryu…" Manta's words entered an empty room.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Manta spent the entire night in the waiting room. He was unable to rest for over an hour, but eventually, his anxiety mind fogged over and blanked out. He was awakened the next day by a comely, smiling nurse informing him that his friends were available for visitation.

"Ah, so Ryu saved me?" Yoh asked, his face calm and unsurprised by the news. "I need to thank him next time I see him."

Seeing his friend alive and awake was a great relief to Manta. He could finally smile again after seeing how Yoh was acting like his usual self "The doctor also said your injury isn't serious," Manta informed him before glancing at his friend's bandaged shoulder. "So how do you feel now?"

Yoh sat up in the hospital bed and grinned as widely as usual, "I'm alive~ And it's all thanks to Amidamaru!"

On cue Amidamaru appeared hovering next to his partner's bed. The samurai was conflicted, his face regretful and voice miserable, "I do not deserve your praise, Yoh-dono. If it weren't for me… You wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Yoh turned to Amidamaru with a reassuring smile and said, "Don't beat yourself up because things didn't go the way you wanted. As long as we're all alive, that's all that matters," Yoh paused for a moment before something clicked in his head. "Speaking of us all, where's Kagome-chan? Did she go home or something?"

Yoh didn't catch on to the reluctant looks that Manta and Amidamaru exchanged. The shaman looked left and right, then scoped the entire room. He looked back at his companions and only then did he notice their downcast expressions.

"Well, she'll live..." Manta began slowly. "But, she's a patient here too. She tried to defend you while you were conscious, but…" The events from last night played out like a slideshow. Yoh's collapse. Kagome slapping Ren. Kagome being struck down.

"Where is she?" Yoh's inquired, his voice lowered and hurried.

"I-In the room to the right," Manta answered hesitantly. As he expected, Yoh was quickly on his feet. "A-Ah! Wait, Yoh-kun! The doctor said that she'd be fine with some sleep!"

"Okay, but I still want to see her," The shaman stated while slipping into his sandals.

Manta hopped out of his chair, "But will it really be okay to disturb her? She was hit on the head after all." Despite his reluctance, he and Amidamaru still followed Yoh's lead.

"She's a lot tougher than she looks," Yoh replied as he headed out into the hallway. "Besides, nothing's more reenergizing than seeing your friends~"

Kagome's room was identical to Yoh's, save for the person lying in bed. Kagome was sleeping peacefully with bandages wrapped around her head, covering her long bangs. Yoh placed a hand on hers and lightly squeezed it. "Manta...what should I do…?" he asked softly.

Manta blinked, then scowled as he felt unsure about what he was being asked. "Do about what?"

"I was told that people who can see spirits aren't evil…" Yoh replied as he removed his hand from the sleeping girl's. "But anyone harms my friends, no matter who they are, I can't forgive them."

Manta opened his mouth to speak, but his train of thought was derailed by Kagome's voice. She groaned in her sleep, summoning her friends to her side. A few moments later, her eyelids twitched before opening slowly. "K-Kagome, you're awake!"

"Yeah, I am," Kagome replied as she sat up in her bed. She noticed the room was not her own and asked, "Hospital…?" She smiled sheepishly, "Guess we lost pretty badly."

Yoh shook his head and told her, "Nah, it was my loss. And it's my fault that you got hurt."

"What?!" Kagome quickly protested, "No way! Don't blame yourself like that! You've always been the one to protect us ever since we first met!"

Manta nodded, "She's right, Yoh-kun! You're always the first person to come to the rescue!"

"You have a kind, strong heart, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru added with a soothing smile. "The kindness and regard for others is your strength." He thumped his chest, "That is why I will not back down from any challenge. I'll follow you to the next challenge, and the one after that."

"You guys…" Yoh smiled softly and nodded. "Thanks. You're the best friends I could have ever asked for."

Kagome smiled as she climbed out of her bed. "Alright, I'm out," She said as she reached for her shoes. "I need to grab something real quick."

"No way! You should be resting!" Manta shook his head. "Whatever it is, I'll get it for you!"

"Yeah, count us in," Yoh added before smiling at his partner. "Right, Amidamaru?"

Kagome smiled and waved her hand a bit, "Thanks for the offer but this is something that I need to do on my own. Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, okay?" Yoh quietly looked at Manta for answers, but the other teen just shrugged and shook his head.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome found him without any trouble. Sesshomaru was exactly where she thought he would be—leaning against a tree near the clearing that used to house the priestess-eater. He sensed the familiar aura approaching several minutes before she arrived. "Why have you returned, girl?" Sesshomaru questioned in a quiet, cold voice.

Kagome smiled warmly as she cupped her hands behind her back, "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"Indeed, I do," the demon spirit confirmed. "And as you know, the answer is no."

"But why?!" Kagome asked. "I know we'd make a great team!" she protested. He was right. She did not expect him to accept her proposal. But that didn't make the rejection any less disappointing.

"And I am sure we will not," Sesshomaru countered sharply. "I have no interest in such things. And even if I was, I would never stoop so low as to choose a weak human girl as my partner, a priestess no less." His expression remained stoic as the priestess' became more indignant and agitated.

"Just stop and think about it, Sesshomaru," She insisted as she took a few more steps towards him.

The demon lord's only reply was, "Sesshomaru-sama."

"Ses-sho-ma-ru," Kagome deadpanned, unable to hide how peeved she was. "Just hear me out," she said. "Another powerful shaman has appeared and he's a lot for Yoh-kun to handle. I'm sure that with a powerful spirit like you, even someone like me can win."

"The strong devouring the weak is part of the circle of life," Sesshomaru told the girl. "If you or your companion cannot overcome your enemy, then it is your fate to die at their hands."

"You don't mean that," Kagome insisted. "I know you more than you think." She told him, which actually caught Sesshomaru's attention. "Long ago, you protected my ancestors. Higurashi Rin and Ran. They were weak, but you didn't allow them to die."

"Those two were my wards, correct," Sesshomaru admitted. "But that has nothing to do with you. I have no further obligation to the Higurashi family."

"Are you sure about that?" The priestess asked back. "The other day, you asked how many Higurashi's were devoured by that demon…and all of this time, you've stayed around my family's property. It makes me wonder," the girl lifted her head and caught the spirit's eyes with her hopeful ones. "If you feel responsible for all of us."

"I see," Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "You're the type of human who receives copper but values it as gold," he stated while folding his arms across his chest.

Kagome stifled a laugh before smiling warmly, "If it's a gift from the heart, then it's always worth more than gold. But, maybe that's just me." She nodded respectfully to the demon lord and turned around. "Before I leave… Do you want to know the reason why Tenseiga didn't work on Rin?"

The demon's lord silence was Kagome's cue to continue speaking.

With a wistful smile that he could not see, the girl explained, "It's because Rin's soul already moved on.…that quickly. Her life was short, but it was sweet. I believe that Rin had absolutely no regrets and was ready to move forward. There were tragedies, but she was saved by love and compassion." The priestess went quiet as she closed her eyes to reflect on the story. She put herself in her ancestor's shoes. Kagome even thought about her own life. Her mind could picture the smiling faces of Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru. _'Yes, that's right... I too...have been saved...'_

Sesshomaru merely stared at the girl.

"She got lost along the way, but she wanted to move on. I think that Rin moved on because she wanted to be reborn as soon as she could." The priestess' voice was now softer. She gave the demon lord a smile from over her shoulder. "I think that Rin hoped that she could hurry and be reborn, just so she could meet you again."

It was pure conjecture.

But still, Kagome shared that sentiment.

If Kagome were to perish someday. She was sure that she would want to be reborn and meet her friends once again.

In that moment, Kagome resembled his ward more than ever.

Sesshomaru's lips parted involuntarily as memories of the lost Higurashi flashed through his mind. It was centuries ago, but he could still hear her voice in his head. "Rin…"

A warm breeze swept through the air, swaying the priestess' hair. Like the sun piercing through rainclouds, a beam of light descended from the heavens. Kagome's gasp was inaudible as she whipped around to face the new presence. The golden, crescent bow was illuminated and sparkling in the silver light as it followed the light's trail.

_"Sesshomaru-sama, it's me."_

_'That voice…!'_ Kagome's eyes widened. _'I can hear it, in my head?!'_

"Rin," Sesshomaru regarded the voice calmly. "Your leaving without my consultation is insubordination."

_"Forgive me, Sesshomaru-san. I truly am sorry. I died and wanted to see you again. But I ended up so confused. I got lost and had forgotten what I was searching for you."_

"And you found me," the demon lord responded as he stopped leaning against the tree and took a few steps forward, ready to take hold of the hovering bow. "Let us leave." He raised a hand.

_"Actually, you and Kagome-chan, together, you found me."_

Kagome's lips were parted in wonder as the bow moved out of Sesshomaru's reach and placed itself into her waiting hands. She looked down at the magnificent weapon. It was as curved as the mark on Sesshomaru's forehead. Spiraling around the bow's curve was a silver replication of Sesshomaru's boa.

_"If it were not for Kagome-chan, you would have never found me… I owe my rescue to your meeting. Rin believes that fate brought you together to do wonderful things."_

Sesshomaru quietly looked towards the sky. The place from which the bow emerged was still shining. Pure gold replaced the earthly blue. It was surely a glimpse of heaven—the place where Rin belonged.

_"Rin will always be watching. Sesshomaru-sama, won't you please experience them with her?"_

The beam of light then narrowed until it completely disappeared, leaving the priestess and the demon alone once again. Kagome held out her hands and stated, "Here. This was originally a gift from you to Rin, right? It doesn't feel right taking it from you."

For a moment, the two only stared at each other.

"Rin passed it along to you," He finally stated. "It is now a Higurashi treasure." Sesshomaru then began to walk away, "Come along, girl. If there is somewhere you must be, let us go there."

 _'Us?'_ Kagome could not contain her smile. "Right I'm comi—!" The priestess blinked before calling out to the spirit, "Wait! That's the wrong way!" Sesshomaru stopped and gave her an irate glare from over his shoulder. The priestess swung the bow over her should and beamed in response. _'Rin, thank you so much. I'll make you proud.'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru were still at the hospital. A doctor checked Yoh's wound and later asked him how he got injured so badly. The same doctor also questioned if they knew where Kagome had snuck off to. After explaining that neither Yoh nor Kagome had any nearby legal guardians to speak to, the doctor relented in favor of checking up on his other patients.

Manta scowled as he glared down at his phone screen. "You were right, after all. Kagome-chan isn't answering her phone."

"I'm guessing things went well for her then," Yoh stated nonchalantly.

"How you do figure that when we can't get through to her?!" Manta shouted, dramatically pointing at a finger at his friend. "Oh, I get it! It's you using your shaman powers, right!? Well, I don't have those!"

"Chill, Manta," Yoh replied. "You should take a page from my book and just relax!" He plopped back onto his hospital bed, linking his hands behind his head while smiling contently.

"Yoh-dono," Amidamaru suddenly spoke up. "It's been on my mind since last night. Do you have interests in becoming Shaman King?"

"I was wondering that too," Manta admitted while looking at his friend curiously. "But what exactly is Shaman King?"

Yoh closed his eyes and hummed. He turned to his side as he explained, "hmm… well, I don't know much about it either but… My grandfather told me about it… It was ten years ago… All I know is that the Shaman King is the one shaman who gets merge with the Great Spirit, the spirit of all living things. And yeah, ever since childhood, I've wanted to become Shaman King so I can…" his voice trailed off.

"So you can?" Amidamaru and Manta leaned forward and urged the young shaman to continue.

Yoh suddenly shot up and gave them a big grin and thumbs-up, "So I can live a life of leisure!" Manta and Amidamaru jaws dropped at the sight of his smug expression. He seemed to be so sure of his masterplan.

 _'How can you admit something like that?'_ Manta mentally asked, feeling floored at his friend. _'Such impure motivation…'_

"Well, I wanted to wait around for a while until Kagome-chan came back, but I guess it can't be helped." With that said, Yoh got off his bed once again and then doubled-over from the pain. "D-Damn it, it still hurts that much?"

"Then you shouldn't be moving, Yoh-kun!" Manta exclaimed with a horrified face. "You need to heal first!" He went to his friend's side and tried to steady him.

"I would if I could, but I can't," Yoh stated as he went to the window. Manta and Amidamaru followed him and looked outside when Yoh opened the curtains. Sure enough, there at the gateway to the hospital stood Tao Ren, kwandao in hand. Yoh did not flinch or hide away when their eyes met, but he did whisper aloud, "He sure is persistent…"

"Are you going?" Manta asked, looking up at Yoh, but he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for anyone else," Yoh replied. A few minutes later, the two teens and samurai spirit snuck out of the hospital, leaning firmly against walls and ducking beneath the front desk as they went. With the eyes of a hawk, Yoh spotted a metal pipe leaning against a set of dumpsters. It was no sword, but it was a suitable length for his purposes.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The location of the battle was moved to a local park. It was a quiet, secluded venue that went overlooked at this time of night. "Hmph. You don't think _that_ thing," Ren's eyes glanced at the pole in Yoh's hand, "will increase your chance at winning, do you?" To Manta, the Tao's tone was infuriatingly pompous.

Despite Yoh's calm demeanor and deliberate silence, Ren could tell that he was getting under his skin. "Asakura Yoh, you're only capable of bringing out fifteen percent of your tool's power while I can draw out one-hundred. And you call yourself a shaman?" The Tao smirked and relished in how Yoh's body bristled ever-so-slightly. "Guess it's straight to business with you. Bason!"

"Amidamaru!" Yoh called to the samurai spirit that appeared loyally behind him.

The Tao held true to his nature as he went in for the kill. Swift head turns from Yoh narrowly escaped Ren's hungry blade. Ren's offense became a volley of strikes. Yoh was forced to defend as the relentless barrage aimed to maim him.

Yoh raised his pipe and blocked the last swipe. Manta's eyes widened when the top half of the pipe fell to the ground with an echoing clatter.

"Thank you," Yoh smirked triumphantly as he paid the discarded half no mind. "The length is perfect now." The Asakura then bore onto Ren with equal vigor. The metal poles clashed with a reverberating ring. Yoh's onslaught continued. Each attack pushed Ren further and further back.

Ren sidestepped a daring swipe from Yoh. The Asakura stumbled forward, baring his back. Ren took the chance to stab into the unprotected skin.

Yoh stumbled more as he hissed through the pain.

"It seems like that's the best you can do," Ren stated with a smirk. "On the other hand, I'm not even using thirty percent of Bason's power." Ren pointed his blade into Yoh's face and yelled, "A shaman who calls a spirit a friend is disgusting! When a shaman and spirit become one, they merge two wills into one body! It's impossible for two wills to coexist willingly with each other, therefore," Ren paused as he began his next attack. "A spirit must be dominated and used as a tool!"

Yoh rolled out of reach then dove into the thick underbrush. Ren huffed but easily cut down everything in his path. With no more cover, Yoh took to the air. The Asakura cried out as he swung his weapon. Ren blocked the attack and continued his taunts, "The only reason you're still breathing is because of that samurai spirit…" His smirk widened as he added, " _Yes_ , I think I can make good use of him."

" _What_?" Yoh hissed out. "Amidamaru is my friend, and I'll never let anyone abuse him!"

"It's stupid beliefs like that that make you so weak!" Ren retorted. Yoh took a pole to the stomach and was sent flying. His body rolled and skidded across the ground until it came to a stop.

Ren smiled at the sight of Yoh crouched on the ground with Amidamaru next to him. "So your strength has diminished to the point that you can't even hold the Hyoi Gattai?" Ren inquired. Ren approached the shaman and his spirit at a leisure pace. The battle was confirmed to be over.

"A-Amidamaru…" Yoh grunted as he looked at his partner. "As long as I'm alive, he can't make you into his…" The usual warmth was gone from his smile as he commanded, "Take the time to leave here. Cross into the next world with Mosuke so he can't get to you."

"Yoh-dono," Amidamaru replied seriously. "Even if I wanted to rest in peace, I couldn't…" The samurai spirit then glared at Ren who looked as if he was going to laugh at them. "Because I am already attached to you!" he declared aloud.

"How touching," Ren mocked as his shadow loomed over Yoh. He positioned his kwandao. "You two can disappear together then!"

Manta's heart skipped a beat. He hoped that a day resting would be enough edge for Yoh. But there he was, on his hands and knees and covered in bloody, dirty scrapes. His head was held low as he whispered to Amidamaru. And there _it_ was: Ren's kwandao held like an executioner's ax.

"Y-Yoh-kun!" The boy shouted as he jumped from his hiding spot.

Just as the weapon began its assault, a streak of blue light shot into the blade. Ren's eyes widened when his kwandao was knocked out of his hands. It rotated in the air then embedded itself into the ground nearby.

Ren gritted his teeth as he turned to the source of the light. "Who's there?!" He demanded. "Show yourself, coward!"

Kagome then emerged from the shadows of the forest. She glared at Ren as gripped her golden bow in a ready-position. Manta gasped, "K-Kagome-chan?!"

Yoh raised his head at the sound of Manta's voice. "Kagome-chan…" he whispered, his surprise overshadowed by a ball of anxiety. "This isn't your fight! Just take Manta and get out of here!"

Kagome shook her head as she summoned an arrow of light to her hand. "Yoh-kun," she frowned, "how can you say something like that?" The priestess' eyes never left Ren as he recovered his weapon. "You, me, Manta-kun, and Amidamaru-sama… We're all friends. And friends always stick together, no matter what."

"Besides…" she continued. "Back when we first met, you did the same thing for Manta-kun and me, and we were complete strangers back then." Kagome glared at Ren and declared, "Tao Ren, I'll take you on!"

Ren gripped his stomach as he doubled over, laughing aloud, " _You_? Take me on?" His laughs died abruptly as his gaze became even chillier. "You must want to die early."

"Don't underestimate me!" Kagome countered. "Let's do it, Sesshomaru!" On his shaman's command, the silver-haired and gold eyed demon lord appeared behind her.

"Sesshomaru?! But how did Kagome-chan manage to get him to join her?!" Manta wondered while scratching his hair violently. His friends continued blowing his mind!

"Sesshomaru, huh?" Yoh looked up at the spirit and smiled through the pain. "I'll admit it, that's pretty awesome, Kagome-chan."

"So you're a shaman too?" Ren's eyebrow raised at the discovery. "Tokyo's tools are misused. They promise themselves to the weakest trash around."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched as she glared at Ren. "Sesshomaru! Spirit Ball Mode!" she commanded. Sesshomaru followed her lead. His form condensed into a raging red fireball. Kagome eagerly guided the spirit into her chest. A gasp was caught in her throat at the sensation.

Burning.

Searing pain.

Kagome's body was on fire. Her lips parted into an "o" as she threw her head back. Beads of sweat flew through the air.

"Tch," Ren sneered when the girl's body stiffened and levitated off the ground. The violent swirling clash of blue energy with red energy was a telltale sign of a power struggle. "Disgusting. A novice like that thought she had a chance of beating me?" He sent a smirk at Yoh, who was on his feet and taking in Kagome with fear, "See that? The battle for dominance between that girl and her spirit—she'll never achieve Hyoi Gattai if she doesn't use it like the tool it is. Accepting a spirit into your body as an equal is foolish. It might be fun to watch that demon tear her body apart."

"T-that's not true!" Manta exclaimed. "Someone like you would never understand what she's going through!"

Ren scoffed, "Asakura Yoh, the company that you keep is quite annoying, even for a human." His golden eyes looked from Kagome and Manta. "I know…" he whispered before smiling widely at Yoh. "How about I kill them both right in front of you?" The widening of Yoh's eyes was a beautiful sight. "If your ideals are truly superior, you'll be able to save them. Let's start with…" He looked towards Manta, making the blond bristle and tremble uncontrollably.

"Tao Ren, I've had enough of your mouth," Yoh announced as he calmly walked to the discarded end of the pole. With both poles in his hand, the Asakura crossed his arms over each other. "You taught us that one-hundred percent strength can only be achieved when shaman and spirit are one…" Yoh and Amidamaru spoke in perfect unison. "So we'll show you how it's done!"

"Cut the crap, Asakura!" Ren shouted angrily. "Chuuka Zanmai!"

"Amidamaru Goukoujin!"

The attacks met head-on.

Ren's breath stopped when his kwandao was cut to pieces.

Not even a second later, the Tao was sent flying across the clearing. Manta's eyes lit up as joy filled his chest. He threw a fist into the air and cheered, "He did it! Yoh-kun—ah." The excitement deflated when he looked away from Ren and towards his friend.

Yoh dropped the poles and went to Kagome's side. She was suspended mid-air. "Kagome-chan?" The shaman asked of the girl.

The girl then descended until her feet touched the ground. In that instance, the blue energy dissipated, leaving nothing but a stormy red energy lashing about. Yoh flinched when the burning energy whipped against his skin like a gale set ablaze. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing cold, golden pupils. The crescent moon on her forehead was revealed by the energy that whipped her bangs about.

"K-Kagome-chan, are you in there?!" Manta called out as he approached them.

"The priestess is not here," Kagome answered, her voice lower than before.

"S-Sesshomaru…" Manta frowned. "Well, the fight is over so you can just leave her body now."

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment as he stared through the teens in front of him. Finally, he spoke again, "I cannot—"

Golden eyes narrowed.

Suddenly the Asakura rushed forward and wrapped his arms around the girl's frame. He pulled her body close to him. "Kagome-chan, don't give up. Come back to us."

Manta nodded before wrapping his arms around Kagome's leg from the side. "Yeah, you can do it!"

"Kagome-sama, this is the ultimate test!" Amidamaru added in as he floated on her other side.

Kagome's eyes closed and her body relaxed.

"E-Eh? Yoh-kun?" Her familiar voice inquired, clearly confused. Yoh pulled back and felt relieved at the sight of her usual eye color. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"A-Ah!" the shaman blushed and released the girl, backing away while holding his hands up. "I was just worried about you! Sesshomaru said—"

The demon lord appeared behind his partner, arms crossed, "That I could not leave your body, because you wanted to keep trying."

"Eh—" Yoh paled as Manta shot him a sharp, accusatory glare. He avoided Amidamaru's embarrassed expression.

"Yeah," Kagome confirmed. "I realized that we failed Hyoi Gattai, but I wanted to see if we could get it right," she explained with her pointer finger in the air.

"Right…" Yoh breathed a deep sigh of relief before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Kagome gasped and caught her friend before he crashed to the ground.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

The next morning Manta was roused out of sleep by Kagome's voice calling out to him. "Manta-kun… Manta-kun!" The girl gently shook his shoulder until she saw his eyes open. Manta yawned and stretched before rubbing his eyes. He looked at Kagome, and then at Yoh, who was already awake and smiling casually. He seemed to be in high spirits for someone who was hospitalized a second day in a row.

"Oh… Good morning," he greeted them in a raspy voice. "What is it?" he asked.

"Yoh-kun is hungry so I'm going to the cafeteria for some breakfast," Kagome announced. "Would you like anything?" she asked.

"A pork cutlet and some bitter melon juice," Manta replied with a grateful smile.

Kagome nodded and waved to her best friends before leaving the room. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Don't get lost!" Yoh called out playfully and Manta sweatdropped when he heard Kagome yell of "Oh, shut up!" from the hall.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome huffed, her face slightly flushed, as she made her way to the cafeteria. The discovery that she was the only patron at this hour was enough to make the girl beam. With no contests, the girl visited every station. Less than ten minutes later, she was making her way back to Yoh's room. _'Almost there.'_ She looked down at the contents of her bag and smiled widely. She could just imagine the excited expressions of her friends.

She rounded the corner and—

_BAM!_

Kagome was knocked to the floor. "Ow..." she whimpered and raised a hand to her aching forehead. The sound of cans rolling across the floor made her eyes shoot open. Her eyes lifted from the floor. She gasped at the sight of another girl on the floor in front of her. The girl had straight, blond hair that brushed against her shoulder blades. A large red scarf was wrapped around her head as a sleeveless black dress and layers blue beads adorned her petite body. _'Oh, wow. She's really pretty…'_ The comely girl growled as she held her head.

The blond girl then stood up quickly, as if the literal head-on collision did not faze her. She brushed off her dress before leering down at Kagome. "That _hurt_ ," she hissed.

Kagome gave her a sheepish smile, "Eheh, yeah. Sorry about that." She then began collecting the escaping beverages. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Never mind that," the girl replied as she crossed her arms. "You're heading for that room, aren't you?" she questioned as she pointed down the hall at Yoh's room.

"Yeah…?" Kagome felt reluctant to answer such an odd question. She lifted her arm, showing the bag of goodies that she bought. "I'm bringing food to my friend, he's not feeling well."

The girl raised an eyebrow at the statement, "Asakura Yoh, right? Knowing him, he's just slacking off and taking it easy with no real injuries." The girl said no more as she turned heel and headed to Yoh's room.

"Wait for me!" Kagome called out before jogging to catch up with the mysterious girl that somehow knew her best friend. She did not seem like a bad person or like she had any ill intentions. Her aura was powerful, but not tainted like Tao Ren. She smiled and gave the girl a gentle pat on the shoulder, "My name is Higurashi Kagome. What's your name?"

The girl gave her a sharp look, but still replied straightforward, "Kyoyama Anna."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Yoh and Manta smiled when the door opened slightly and Kagome poked her head inside. A warm smile was on her face. "Yoooooh-kun! You have a visitor!" she announced cheerfully.

"A visitor?" Manta asked curiously. "Who could that be?" he asked as he looked over at Yoh. Yoh only shrugged and shook his head.

"Look who came to see you~!" Kagome said as she stepped aside to reveal another girl standing in the doorway.

"Really, Yoh?" The girl hissed out incredulously as she placed a hand on her hip. "You're doing nothing but being lazy and carefree as usual," she stated as she sized up the boy in bed. "The future sure looks bleak."

The brunette almost fell out of bed at the sight of the girl. He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. He was sweating heavily as he grinned, "o-oh… hi, Anna."

"Um, excuse me," Manta moved to greet the girl, rubbing his hands nervously as the girl's commanding presence was more than intimidating. "What is your relationship to Yoh-kun here?"

Anna glared at Manta and snapped, "Shut it, dumping."

Manta's face flushed from anger, _'du… dumpling?!'_ he growled. _'The nerve of some people…!'_

Kagome smiled and explained, "Anna-san came all the way from Izumo to see Yoh-kun, so they must be—"

"Betrothed, future husband and wife," Anna cut in.

"Bethrothed, right," Kagome nodded with a proud smile. "That makes sense—" She paused. "Wait, what…?"

…Amidamaru, Kagome, Manta went quiet and looked at each other.

"BETHRRRRROOOOTTTHHHHEEEED?!" the trio chorused in unison.

"Is that true, Yoh-kun?" Kagome questioned, throwing her friend a shocked, horrified look. Somehow she wanted him to say it was a lie, but Anna did not look the type to make up far-fetched stories.

"Y-Yeah…" Yoh replied in a nervous tone, scratching a slightly pink cheek. "It's true." He admitted.

Anna then turned to Manta and said, "I'm thirsty, and I like bitter melon juice." Manta's eye twitched when she casually took the can from his hands and opened it. She ignored the short boy's protests as she raised his drink to her lips.

"Anna-san sure is interesting," Kagome whispered to Yoh as she went over to his bed.

"Maybe I should run away…" Yoh muttered to himself, just loud enough for the priestess to hear.

"You can't do that!" Kagome whispered harshly. "Anna-san might take her rage out on us."

"I'll pretend I'm dying then," Yoh concluded before lying flat on his back. "Tell her that I'm dead."

Kagome sighed and smiled at her friend's antics. She then leaned over Yoh to fluff his pillow, unknowingly putting her chest in his face. The boy blushed, his breath catching in his throat. He turned his face to the side to avoid staring. "You can't do that," the priestess lightly chastised before leaning away and straightening up. "Anna-san seems scary as it is when she's calm. I can't imagine how she is when she's angry."

Yoh almost sobbed, "You're telling me. All of my memories of her end with me crying…"

Anna turned her attention from Manta, and gave Kagome and Yoh a disapprovingly look. "What are two doing over there?" she asked suspiciously. "Yoh, your injuries don't look serious at all."

Kagome tried to smile, for Yoh's sake, "Actually, Yoh-kun just went through a lot. He hasn't had time to properly heal and rest so—"

"It's because you're coddling him that he's gotten away with slacking off," Anna cut in. "That ends today because Yoh will start my Special Training Program." She stated firmly.

Kagome's face flushed as she shot back, "I do _not_ coddle him!" She looked at Manta, "Back me up here!"

Manta raised a finger to his lips and he mulled over the idea. "Well...you do make us lunches...and condone him sleeping in class...and not studying after school…"

"You're not helping," Kagome deadpanned as her brow twitched.

"Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose," Anna concluded while crossing her arms. "A true shaman knows that you can not become stronger by sitting around and doing nothing."

"Birds of a feather?!" Kagome and Manta cried in unison. "We're nothing like him!"

Yoh scowled and gave his friends a deadpanned look, "Why are you acting like it's a bad thing?"

"If that's true, then you won't get in the way of Yoh's training," Anna said. "If you do, then he'll die," she casually declared.

"He'll… die?" Manta asked slowly.

"At his current state, Yoh stands no chance against the millions of other shamans gathering up around the world to be Shaman King," Anna explained. "A human's full potential is only brought out in a dire situation; therefore, fighting is the only way to discern who is qualified to be Shaman King."

"You mean there will be more guys like Tao Ren?" Kagome asked.

Anna nodded quietly, her expression grim. Yoh smiled nervously, "but I have my own way of—"

"Your way is not good enough! You'll never survive the Shaman Fights in Tokyo!" Anna yelled as she got in Yoh's face. "You have to win and become Shaman King!" She commanded.

Manta's face showed visible discomfort, but he still managed to "But Anna-san, why do you want Yoh to become Shaman King so badly?"

"Idiot, isn't it obvious?" Anna asked. "Yoh will be my husband. And _I_ want to be the Shaman King's First Lady," she stated. "And then, I'll get to live a leisurely life!"

Kagome, Manta, and Amidamaru anime fell, all thinking, _'they're both the same on the inside!'_

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

It had been two weeks since Kagome and Manta had met Anna. That day, the girl dragged Yoh out of the hospital to start his special training. His arm was extended to them and tears streaming down his face. The debut of Yoh's fiancee changed their group dynamic and the activities that they had gotten used to doing. They got to see Yoh during school, but after school he had to hurry and head straight home, or Anna would torture Amidamaru.

Stargazing at Crow Cemetery felt odd without the boy who brought them together. So the evenings that Kagome and Manta spent together turned into study sessions at her house. The sessions usually began with studying, but ended up turning into chatting and goofing off. During the very first session, Manta glanced at Kagome's notebook and noticed doodles of their group beneath a starry sky.

He bristled and tapped his lookalike with his pencil, "This isn't supposed to be me, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The priestess questioned with a pout as she lifted the notebook, "Just look at it, it's a perfect caricature!" They shared a laugh at that.

They shared a lot of laughs.

But that did not stop them from missing what brought Yoh brought to the table.

"Hey, Kagome-chan," Manta said as he finished his shaved ice. "I was thinking of visiting Yoh-kun today. Wanna come with me?" he asked.

Kagome's face lit up at the question. "Of course, I do!" She looked down at her dessert, "Too bad that this would melt before we got there. I think he deserves a treat for working so hard..." She then sighed a bit, "Not that Anna-san would allow it anyway."

Sesshomaru then appeared and ordered, "Take this opportunity to observe his training methods."

Kagome paused before placing another spoonful into her mouth. She sweatdropped, "Don't tell me that you want to torture me the way Anna-san tortures Yoh-kun?" She could not imagine herself going through what Yoh did. At school, he was forced to train his legs and core by squatting and positioning his body as if he was sitting on an invisible chair. And he had to hold that pose throughout all of their lectures.

On the third day of the training regimen, Yoh thought he would take a day off while at school. But the moment that he pulled up a chair, Anna walked into the room, wearing their uniform. She sent her fiancee a blank expression that chilled them to the core.

On the fifth day, they found out that even Yoh's diet was restricted. When Kagome offered Yoh an obento during lunch, Anna snatched it away and stated that he would only eat what was in the food diary that she created for him. Manta pitied his friend as he watched Anna partake in double portions. Kagome prepared a lunch for all four them—and Anna ate hers and Yoh's right in front of him.

"But, we've already improved so much on our own, haven't we?" Kagome tilted her head a bit. "I mean, we can merge without me getting possessed so there's that~" The girl's optimism shone through her content smile. _'I can't hold the Hyoi Gattai for more than two minutes though...'_ she thought to herself. She wouldn't say that out in loud in front of Manta.

"Then what the girl said about you was correct," the demon lord stated. "You and the Asakura are one and the same." His partner reacted to his statement exactly as he expected.

"I am not!" The girl got to her feet, slamming her hands on the table. "Fine. Let's go!" She abandoned the rest of her flavored ice and grabbed Manta's hand as she powerwalked out of the door.

"Um, Kagome-chan…" Manta tried to interrupt.

"The nerve! Me, and Yoh? The same?!" Kagome fumed as she marched down the street.

"Kagome-chan, will you please liste—!"

"He's always looking over my shoulder, Manta-kun! Judging everything I do! Once he even critiqued how long I spent in the bath!"

Manta snatched his hand away and yelled, "Will you stop and listen for a second?!"

"Eh," Kagome blinked. "Sorry. What is it?" asked Kagome, feeling embarrassed.

Manta sighed and pointed in the opposite direction, "Yoh-kun's house is that way!"

"…Oh."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"Wow, it's huge!" Kagome marveled when they stopped in front of a structure that resembled a mini-mansion more than a house. It was a traditional Japanese style house, but it was twice the size of the Higurashi home and was encompassed with a large wooden gate with a grand pair of doors in the front. "I could probably get lost just in the yard."

"Do they really need all of this just to house one family?" Manta asked curiously as Kagome knocked on one of the two large doors. The door eerily creaked open, and out fell Yoh into Kagome's arms.

"Ah! Yoh-kun!" Kagome and Manta shrieked in unison.

"Are you alright?" Kagome asked fearfully, he was pretty limb. "You gained a lot of weight," she pointed out.

Yoh slowly lifted his head and he moaned out in a hoarse voice, "K-Kagome-chan… Help… me…" Kagome screamed at Yoh's zombified face.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

"You scared us for a second, Yoh-kun," Manta said. "But I guess I can't blame you… Having to run fifty kilometers wearing those heavy weights…it sounds rough." The three of them were resting in the shade of Yoh's back porch.

"Anna's training is deadly," Yoh moaned. "The only break I get is at school. And there's still strength training there, along with P.E.!"

"On the bright side," Kagome smiled. "Anna-san's training keeps you awake during lessons now~"

"You're too cruel, Kagome-chan!" Yoh exclaimed. "You have to rescue me or I'll die!" He melodramatically plopped over on his side and wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist, causing her to blush fiercely.

"Yoh-kun, this is so inappropriate!" Kagome protested, trying to shake him off her. "Manta-kun! Don't just stand there! Get him off me!" she yelled as she went red as a tomato.

Manta then latched onto Yoh and tried pulling him off, "Kagome-chan is right! You have a fiancée after all! And Anna-san will get mad!"

"Noooooo! You can't just abandon me!"

"Ahhhh, stop! This is so embarrassing!"

"Yoh-kun, it's not that serious!"

"SAVE ME!"

"HELP ME!"

"STOP IT!"

On cue, Anna came out to the back to find Yoh on his knees with arms wrapped tightly around Kagome who had her hand on his face trying to get him off her, and Manta latched to Yoh's leg being swung back and forth and not really helping. "What's going on back here?" Anna asked. The sound of her voice made all three of them freeze in place.

"Uhhh, hi Anna/Anna-san," they said in unison, all staring at the blond with wide eyes.

"You," Anna said as she pointed at Yoh. "Stop fooling around and get back to training. Since you're so comfortable with twelve-kilogram weights, I guess I'll switch them with the twenty-three kgs." Anna then looked at Manta and stated, "You, dumpling. You're going to make yourself useful and wax the floors, they need a good shine" Kagome stiffened when Anna looked at her next, "and since you're going to be living here from now, you might as well cook dinner."

The girl clapped her hands as she walked away, "Chop, chop. Get to it."

Yoh then fell over and almost cried just thinking about his new training, "t-twenty-three kgs…"

Manta's eye twitched as he resisted the urge to yell at girl, "…dumpling? Why does she keep calling me that?"

Kagome was stunned, "I'm...going to be living here from now on?"

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome smiled when Manta and Yoh came to join her at the kotatsu. "Looks like Kagome-chan finished first after all," Manta stated to Yoh. He then sighed tiredly and grumbled, "Anna-san made me scrub then wax all the floors in the house. And it used to be an inn so that explains why it's so big."

"She made me run another fifty kilometers with those new weights," Yoh moaned as he laid his head down on the table.

"She made me cook a feast without offering a lick of help," Kagome added with a slight pout. "And it turns out that Sesshomaru was sneaking behind my back and making deals with Anna-san… I have no clue what they have in store for me…"

"What should we do?" Yoh asked Kagome, hoping she would say they should run away. It was what he would have done… If Anna did not constantly have custody of poor Amidamaru.

"Nothing," Kagome replied simply which deflated Yoh. "I'm actually…grateful," she smiled warmly. "Thanks to the both of them, I get to be with you all day every day."

Manta and Yoh looked at each other and blinked at her statement. Kagome then realized how it sounded then blushed, "Not that I plan on following you around everywhere! I mean we can have time apart if that's what you want!"

Manta and Yoh laughed at Kagome's rant, which made her blush even harder. "It's okay, Kagome-chan," Yoh said. "I like being with you too." Yoh blinked when Kagome's and Manta's eyes widened after his statement. "What?" he asked.

Manta pointed a shaky finger and Yoh stiffened, "Anna's right behind me, isn't she?"

"Mmhm…" Manta and Kagome nodded slowly.

Yoh turned around to find Anna giving him a stony yet blank stare. "I hope you like your training as much as you like goofing off," Anna stated. Yoh smiled nervously, knowing that it was a hint that tomorrow's training was going to be more hectic than today's. "I'm hungry." She looked at Kagome. "Did you finish dinner, dobe?"

"What?!" Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Dobe?!" The priestess' face flushed from anger. "I hope you weren't referring to me!"

"Of course I was," Anna replied. "I call them as I see them. And according to your spirit, you have a long way to go before you even reach Yoh's current level. That's pathetic."

Manta and Yoh shrunk away as steam blew out of Kagome's ears. They did not want to be in the path of priestess' rage if she blew her top.

A moment later, she groaned then took a deep breath and chanted a mantra, _'She's Yoh-kun's fiancée… So she must be a good person. She's Yoh-kun's fiancée… So she must be a good person… She must be… She must be…'_

Kagome suddenly beamed at Anna radiantly and said, "You're right, I do have a long way to go." Yoh and Manta stepped out of her way as she left the room to retrieve tonight's meal.

"She's mad," Yoh whispered to Manta.

"Yeah, really mad," Manta nodded.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome sighed then turned to gaze at herself into the bathroom mirror. She ended up borrowing one of Anna's night robes, as she brought nothing but the clothes on her back. She glared at her reflection, noticing how tight it looked and felt in certain areas. _'Am I really that much bigger than her?'_ That thought was almost embarrassing, and almost annoying.

Besides the ill fit, Kagome did not want to wear the robes. She was tempted to sleep in her day clothes. She did not want to feel like she owed Anna anything. But, it couldn't be because she disliked her, right? They just met two weeks ago after all.

_But…_

Whenever Anna was around, she was haughty, domineering, and she bad-mouthed everyone. And—.

Kagome shook her head. _'We just met, I can't just judge her as a bad person…'_ the priestess scolded herself. But then, there was the fact that Anna was Yoh's fiancée. For some reason, Kagome wished that she never knew that. For some reason, knowing that Yoh and Anna were to be married someday bothered her. Was it because Anna's appearance shattered her dream of enjoying her youth with Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru? Did she already miss those carefree days?

A sudden knock on the door brought Kagome back to reality. "Dobe, hurry up. It's not just your bathroom," Anna stated from the other side.

"Sorry, I'm finished," Kagome responded as she opened the door. Her blue-gray eyes immediately met Anna's dark brown ones. The priestess paused. Anna's critical gaze seemed to be sizing her up.

"Hmph," Anna huffed while pushing past the other girl.

Kagome did not know why, but she suddenly felt compelled to speak, "A-Anna-san!"

Anna stopped closing the door to quirk an eyebrow, "What is it now?" she asked impatiently.

Kagome shook her head and said, "Just, good night."

Anna nodded silently and closed the door.

Kagome sighed softly and headed back to her room. It was directly across from Yoh's. She stopped just short of opening her own door. The girl looked at Yoh's door from over her shoulder. It was tempting to see if he was still awake.

But, she decided against it.

The last thing that they needed was a misunderstanding.

From this point on, Kagome was sure that her strange life was going to become more and more hectic.

_But maybe…_

She smiled as she entered her new room and closed the door behind her.

_...maybe that wouldn't be so bad._

* * *


	8. A Corpse Cries! — Tao Jun & Li Bailong!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoh and Kagome put their training to the test when attacked by Tao Jun and her kyonshi.

**A Corpse Cries!**

**Tao Jun & Li Bailong!**

Day in and day out for the past two months, Kagome functioned on a repetitive routine.

Wake up.

Run fifty kilometers in weights with Yoh.

Come home and exercise, spar, or meditate with Yoh.

Shower, then prepare breakfast.

Go to school.

Come home and exercise, spar, or meditate with Yoh.

Bathe, then prepare dinner.

Prepare obento for the next school day.

Study.

Pass out in bed.

Anna did not relent on Yoh's training during final exams, but Kagome took the time to focus on her studies. Manta's exam results were as expected: he received the highest scores across the board. Kagome was amazed at how he pulled off such a feat when he spent so much time at the Asakura residence.

He stayed over so often that it was almost like he lived there too. Sure, he always had a book in hand, but there was still the chaos that came with the territory. And oftentimes, he was forced to do chores by Anna. There were also plenty of times that his studying was interrupted by the ghosts of the previous owners playing pranks on him. And if he ran away screaming, he would sometimes end up taking a shoe to the face, courtesy of Anna.

Despite being unable to attain a spot in the top ten scorers, Kagome was proud of ranking number eleven in their class. Her mother, of course, was ecstatic that she ranked so high while training to be a shaman and sent her extra in her allowance. Higurashi-san's level of support for her daughter struck awe and admiration from her friends. They were not present for the conversation. But apparently, when Kagome asked for permission to stay with Yoh and Anna for a while, her mother readily agreed. She reassured Kagome not to worry about her current Tokyo home because it was owned by generous older relatives who charged no rent on it.

Thus, Kagome trained all the way until exams and summer break. She could not deny her mother's request to return home for the first two weeks, so the priestess ended up on an extended break from her training. It was a break from Anna's special training, at least. She still meditated with her cousins and grandmother every day. The priestess had to ignore the incessant remarks from Sesshomaru during the entire stay. But Sesshomaru's criticism was a small price to pay for the entertainment that was her grandfather and cousins trying to exorcise her spirit. Sesshomaru appeared stoic as they gathered around him, holding wards, reciting incantations, and throwing salt. But Kagome could tell that he was not amused.

It was the middle of August and there were only two weeks left for summer break. Kagome was not surprised to be thrown into the fire as soon as she turned to the Asakura residence. She was greeted by Yoh's teary-eyed glomp and Manta's smile. Her rigorous physical training resumed and her chores were plentiful. But, the girl found that she did not mind the return to this life. She even looked forward to making dinner after her bath.

Tonight was much cooler than the previous ones, so Kagome opted to forsake a luke-warm shower in favor of relaxing in the hot spring. With a fluffy towel wrapped around her frame and her pulled up into a ponytail, the girl stepped out into the crisp night air. Kagome's face wore a content smile as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then walked over to the edge of the water and tentatively stuck a toe in. "Alright, time for a ni—!"

"Could you keep it down?" Anna suddenly asked as she walked towards the spring. "I've had a long day and I don't need you disturbing my bath." The dainty blond held a pastel pink towel to her body as she settled into a spot a few meters away from Kagome.

Kagome could not help sweatdropping as she asked, "Oh yeah? What did _you_ do all day?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Anna was quick to respond. "I had to make sure you and Yoh didn't slack off on your training," she explained straightforwardly.

The priestess almost facepalmed. "Riiiiiight," She muttered. "About that, this is late but, what's with you and Sesshomaru anyway? I mean, what do you get out of helping me train?"

"Hmph," Anna huffed as she folded her arms over her chest. "I thought you would have figured that out by now…" The girls' eyes connected. "I'm the one who proposed that I help train you, in exchange for…"

Kagome was genuinely surprised that Anna was the one who approached Sesshomaru. It was not that she could imagine her prideful spirit actively searching for help, but Anna… Anna did not seem like the type either. The priestess leaned forward as the answer drew her in, "In exchange for…?"

"You making my meals every day," Anna finished bluntly. "Eh!?" Kagome anime fell into the spring but quickly resurfaced, gasping and sputtering. "You're a much better cook than Yoh so I thought your skills would be useful."

"What did you do when I was visiting my family then?!" Kagome questioned.

"Ah, the dumpling took over your job." The answer was just as simple and blunt as most things that Anna said. "You're much better though so I'm glad that you returned."

It was the first semblance of a compliment that Anna paid to Kagome. But, it felt off. It almost felt like the other girl only wanted her to return because of her culinary prowess. "Yeah…" Kagome sighed, "That doesn't make me feel better." She then sunk further into the water, allowing the pool to engulf all but her head. _'What am I saying? I'm acting like a pessimist…'_

Kagome's internal scolding was interrupted by Anna's nonchalant reply of, "That's fine. I wasn't trying to make you feel good. It's not my purpose."

"I've noticed," the priestess replied sharply. The more that Anna spoke, the more combative Kagome felt. Simply ignoring the other girl was possible, but tonight, she was unsatisfied with that. "You have nothing kind to say about anyone, do you?"

"Hmph," Anna turned away from Kagome, exposing her back to the other girl. She leaned against the lip of springs. Her head rested within her folded arms. "I'm not you," she stated. "I only give credit where it is due. I'm not the type of person who sugarcoats everything and hand out gold stars for any accomplishment."

Kagome scowled as she responded, "I'm not looking for praise or anything. I just wonder why you make a point of being so harsh all of the time!" The priestess took a step towards the medium, a hand raising to her chest. "I was raised to believe that kindness takes courage!"

Anna was quiet as she mulled over Kagome's words. She then shook her head before peering over at the priestess from over her shoulder. "If that's true, then you'll never understand me. And that's fine."

Kagome's jaw clenched as she glared at Anna. "You're wrong!" the priestess countered. Anna's sharp eyes did not waver or avoid Kagome's heated gaze, even when the priestess marched over to her. The springs sloshed around the girl as she closed the distance between them. "I'll never understand because you don't want me to understand!"

"Understanding me has nothing to do with your goals," Anna's eyes narrowed as she spoke. "Ultimately, you want to become stronger so you can be a great shaman. But until then, you'll be relying solely on Sesshomaru's—no. On Yoh's strength. Even at his current level, not even Yoh has a chance of surviving the Shaman Fights in Tokyo. You should focus on that goal before trying to confront me about mine."

Kagome's fist trembled at her side. She forced her voice into a whisper as she repressed the heat burning beneath her skin. "Anna-san…." She hissed, her head lowering and bangs shading her eyes. "You're unbelievable. You're avoiding addressing the real problem here."

"Oh?" Anna's eyebrow raised curiously. "And what would that be?"

_'Why?'_ Kagome breathed a curt exhale, both a sigh and huff at once. She broke her lock with Anna's eyes as she muttered, "Nevermind. It doesn't matter." _'Why can't we get along…?'_ It was their first verbal altercation, and yet...it felt like the tension had begun long before tonight.

Anna instilled a sense of doubt in Kagome, a feeling that she thought was buried since she met her new friends in Tokyo. What did she doubt though? Her dreams? Her goals? Her friendships? Or, herself as a person?

The itako noticed how Kagome's outburst ended just as suddenly as it began. The smile on the priestess' face was a reflex. It did not reflect the emotions swirling her stormy eyes.

"Hmph," Anna huffed a bit. She had no wish to see Kagome like that. "So Higurashi," she stated, bringing the other girl back to reality. "You hate me now?"

"No," Kagome's response was simple and sweet, just the way Anna wanted it. "I don't hate you…" She added. "How could I?" She lifted her head and asked back, "And you? Do you hate me, Anna-san?"

"...I don't hate you," Anna answered as she rose up from the bath and hoisted herself onto land. "I'm leaving now." Her stride to the changing room was leisurely. "Don't waste time. I want dinner soon." Her small frame disappeared behind the flaps of the doorway.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

It was a warm Sunday morning. Kagome and Yoh were preparing for their morning run. As Kagome strapped down the velcro on her white running shoes, Yoh slipped on his sandals. He looked up at her face and noticed that his training partner was not beaming like she usually did. "Kagome-chan, are you alright?" he asked. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

Kagome gave a single nod to both questions. "Yeah, I'm just…" A small smile graced her lips, "I'm just not feeling one-hundred percent today." The smile was unconvincing but Anna interrupted Yoh's train of thought with the flop of her sandals hitting the floor. She slipped into the shoes. She was dressed in her usual attire, but today she had a pink purse slipped over her shoulder.

"You going out?" Yoh asked curiously.

"I have a few personal matters to attend to today" she answered. "You two better not slack off on your training."

"We knooooooww," Yoh moaned back obediently as his head lowered a bit.

Anna tied her red scarf around her head and shot Kagome a sharp look from over her shoulder. "Especially you, dobe," She added sharply.

"Stop calling me that!" Kagome shouted back.

"It seems you've gotten a bit too comfortable with your current weights. You'll find heavier ones in the storage room." Anna said to the priestess, completely ignoring her protest. "Rejoice, dobe. You get to wear what Yoh is wearing now." As she walked out of the door, Anna tossed in a final command,"Be sure to change the weights before you leave."

Yoh laughed nervously at the horrified expression on his best friend's face. "Now you get to suffer on the same level as I do, Kagome-chan," he pointed out with a grin.

"Anna-san just did that to torture me!" Kagome exclaimed. "I'm still not used to my current weights, and now she goes and adds even more to my load!"

"Don't worry, Kagome-chan," Yoh stated easily. "It'll all pay off in the future because you'll become even stronger this way."

"...yeah, I guess you're right," Kagome admitted hesitantly. She had known that all along. But it did not change how she felt.

With Kagome's new weights, the two had set off on the usual course through the area. They met up with Manta at a nearby park. The teens then continued the course as a trio as they had done before. Manta rode his bicycle while Yoh and Kagome jogged. Twenty minutes into the jog, Yoh noticed how Kagome's pace was gradually slowing down. She started off right at his side, but lagged further and further behind a quarter of the way through the exercise.

She was pushing herself, he could tell.

A stolen glance over his shoulder revealed the girl drenched in sweat. She was panting heavily, but she intentionally muted the sounds of her struggle. She had to force her feet to push off the ground with each step. She truly wasn't ready for the weight increase, but she was now trying to hide it.

The Asakura frowned and called over to his friend that led the procession, "Hold on, Manta!" The blond blinked and hit the brakes. He steadied himself with a foot on the ground as he turned to face his friends.

"What's up, Yoh-kun?" Manta asked, but he was quick to find the answer as his eyes followed Yoh's to Kagome who was shakily jogging her way over to them. "Ah…" Twenty seconds later, Kagome caught up and bent over, panting and sweating profusely. "Jeez…" He muttered as he noted the obvious exertion on the girl. "Anna-san must have something against you, Kagome-chan," Manta pointed out. "It's obvious that you're not ready for these weights, but she went and made you wear them anyway... Did you two get into a fight or something?" he asked.

Kagome's body visibly stiffened at the question. Despite having caught her breath, she did not straighten up her posture. She stayed in her stooped over position, her bangs were a curtain that concealed her face.

The priestess could sense the worry in Yoh's voice as he inquired,"you two _are_ getting along, aren't you?" She bit on her lower lip as she stopped herself from lying.

There was a small dilemma. Kagome did not want to lie to her friends. But at the same time, she did not want to worry them. And, she did not want Yoh to feel guilty about anything that Anna said or did to her.

"So you _did_ fight!" Manta exclaimed, Kagome's silence confirming his hunch. "About what?!"

Kagome sighed softly as she realized that her hesitation spoke on her behalf. She stood up straight and tried to smile as she explained, "We did have a small altercation last night. But it wasn't anything too bad." Yoh and Manta's fixed concern told her that they were not convinced. "Or else you would have heard it..." she added as her smile became brilliant. "Right?"

Manta felt himself shrunk away at the sight Kagome's shining aura, "I-If you say so…"

"You two," Yoh suddenly said, alerting Kagome and Manta. "Look over there!" He pointed down the street to a female spirit dressed in a yukata. She was staring directly at them as she pointed down an intersecting street.

"That's one of the people that haunt your house, Yoh-kun!" Manta exclaimed.

"It looks like Anna-san wants us to change course," Kagome stated.

Yoh moaned at this, his body slouching as he pouted, "awww, man...this probably means we have to run farther today…!"

And so the three of them followed the spirit until sunset. At the end of the course, they were led down a grassy slope to a riverbank. It was at the shore that the spirit smiled politely, bowed, and disappeared.

By this time, Yoh was stooped over panting heavily and Kagome simply collapsed to her knees, gasping for air. "T-That was true torture!" Kagome exclaimed, and Yoh nodded in agreement. They had been running from early noon until now, the time when the sky was a mixture of pink and orange swirls. The glistening water was a brilliant marigold sea.

"That Anna..." Yoh groaned. "Why'd she pick this place?" He wondered aloud as he stared out at the wide river. "I hope she doesn't want us to swim across..."

"Knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised," Manta remarked with a twitching eyebrow.

"Hey guys, look!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed. She was looking in the direction of a suspiciously parked black van just up the slope. Three figures dressed in dark cloaks and talismans emerged from the vehicle and faced the teens.

"Who the hell are they?!" Manta's eyes bulged as he noticed their stony expressions.

Suddenly, the figures lunged into the air, ripping off their cloaks as they soared. They revealed themselves to be men dressed in Chinese warrior attire. Their bodies adapted offensive stances as they dove at the teens below.

Yoh could tell from their trajectory and eyes that they were after him. "Move out of the way, you two!" Yoh shouted at Kagome and Manta without taking his eyes off of the attackers. Manta screamed as he scrambled away, Kagome merely nodded and went in the opposite directions of Manta.

Yoh, however, stood his ground. A brutal onslaught of nunchucks bashed and battered the young shaman. He could only cross his arms across his face to protect his vital regions.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta and Kagome chorused in unison. The Asakura grunted as an attack sent him falling to his butt.

_'I've got to help him!'_ The priestess thought as she frantically removed the weights on her wrists and ankles. With each release, Kagome felt her body shed mini-mountains.

"Yoh-kun, we should run for it!" Manta called from across the way. "You're far too exhausted from all the running to fight back!"

Yoh shook his head as he shakily got to his feet, "Actually, I'm too tired to run anymore. The only way out of this is to fight." Suddenly Amidamaru appeared at his side. "So Anna finally let you go?" the shaman asked with a small smirk. The presence of his partner boosted his confidence. Amidamaru nodded solemnly.

"And just where have _you_ been all day?!" Kagome huffed when Sesshomaru appeared before her. "I'm sure Anna-san wasn't holding you captive."

"Just be grateful that I came to your rescue," the demonic spirit responded bluntly without even humoring his partner's question.

"To my rescue? Don't you mean to my aid?" Kagome's eye quirked. "Some partner you are," she added in a deadpanned tone.

"Priestess, show me what your body is capable of," the demon lord ordered.

"So you're really not here to help," Kagome narrowed her eyes at her spirit, but she complied as she sidestepped a nunchuck that flew at her face. The sound of Yoh's snicker from behind her made the priestess glare at the shaman from over her shoulder, "Oh, shut up!" She then easily ducked beneath a swift kick.

Kagome inwardly marveled at how light her body now felt.

The rush of adrenaline reenergized her once aching muscles.

"Sorry!" Yoh apologized as he deflected a jab from his side. He was grinning as he spoke and dodged, "It's just great to see you two getting along so well~"

The three continued their assaults on Yoh and Kagome. But the duo found that evading and deflecting each attack was unbelievably simple. It was almost suspicious. "Wow, do we even need to do Hyoi Gattai for this fight, Yoh-kun?" Kagome asked.

Yoh grinned at her while dodging another swing of a nunchuck and replied teasingly," now, now. Let's not get too cocky."

"What about you? You're the one grinning like an idiot during a fight," Kagome pointed out while ducking under a kick from one man.

"You're right. Time to finish this," Yoh declared. He quickly merged with Amidamaru and picked up a conveniently fallen metal pole from off of the ground.

"Every time there's a fight, there always seem to be a pole lying around," Kagome sweatdropped as she avoided yet another attack from the Chinese warrior.

"We're not complaining!" Yoh and Amidamaru shouted in unison as they swung the pole, bashing two of the men across the ribs and taking them out in a single sweep.

"Yoh-kun, no fair!" Kagome exclaimed as she continued to receive a barrage of attacks from her opponent. "You only won because Sesshomaru here won't merge with me!" She told him.

Yoh scratched behind his head and admitted, "Ah? I didn't know it was a competition."

Manta sweatdropped as his friends casually had a conversation during the fight, "Yoh-kun really has rubbed off on her if she's that lax in an actual fight…"

Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru as he observed her movements. "Alright, you want to see what I'm made of? Then watch closely!" She then smiled at Yoh as she cupped her hands in prayer position. "You might want to stand back~" was her only warning before she closed her eyes.

Yoh's eyes widened, screaming in horror as he ran away from the priestess and towards Manta. He could sense a spike in energy as her body was enveloped in swirling blue light. The shaman dove, covering his head with his hands as Kagome's energy exploded, blowing the last assailant away.

The priestess placed her hands on her hips, turning to her spirit with a proud smile. "See? I have a lot more control than I did before~" She stated as she caught Sesshmomaru's eyes.

"Expending so much energy on one attack is not a favorable strategy."

Kagome sighed while shaking her head with a shrug, "I should have known. There's no pleasing you." The priestess was then caught in a brief lecture from her partner, one that made her groan a bit. It almost felt like she was being scolded.

Meanwhile, Manta was wide-eyed as he glanced over at the motionless body that was blown across the grass. He blinked when the talisman on the body dissolved. Moments later, the body turned into ash and was scattered by a passing breeze.

"Kagome-chan," Yoh stated as he and Manta ran over to the girl as Sesshomaru finished chastising her. "I think you went a little overboard there," he pointed out while scratching his cheek. He smiled sheepishly and instantly raised his hands in surrender at the girl's silent glare. "Sorry, sorry!"

"I still don't know everything about shamans but I think your training is paying off, at least," Manta stated with a smile that made Kagome relax and nod appreciatively.

"Finally someone noticed~" The priestess readily agreed. "Alright," she sighed as the rush of adrenaline ebbed away. "Let's head home now. I'm sure one of us still has to make dinner."

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome frowned as Yoh buried his face into his shoulder, wetting her shirt with his tears. "Anna-san, don't you think that's a bit much?" Kagome asked worriedly while rubbing the sobbing shaman's back. "Poor Yoh-kun is still having enough trouble with his current weights."

"Y-Yeah! Trouble!" Yoh piped in miserably as he attempted to lift up his arms. Gravity and the heavier weights kept his arms firmly at his sides.

Anna did not even bother to look at them as she munched on a rice cracker and watched television. "You don't think that I'd let Yoh continue to wear those weights after I'd given them to you, did you, dobe? Since you're now wearing those weights, Yoh has no choice but to upgrade his own. I can't have you on the same level as him. It's as simple as that."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Kagome questioned with a suspicious glare, she continued rubbing soothing circles into Yoh's back.

"Now, now..." Manta's smile twitched as he patted Kagome's leg.

"My number one priority is to train Yoh to become strong so he can become Shaman King, and I can become his First Lady," Anna stated. "I can't have you become a threat to his chances," she admitted brazenly.

Yoh lifted his head from Kagome's embrace, sniffing as he gave his fiancee teary eyes, "B-But Anna, there's no way Kagome-chan and I would ever fight over something like that!"

"Yoh, no more complaining and excuses from you," Anna stated sternly without taking her eyes off of the television. "Once you become Shaman King you can do anything you want with the world...and with me."

The three other teen's faces became beet red at the statement.

"W-w-with you?!" Manta stuttered while holding his burning cheeks. He aimed an accusatory look at his friend, "Yoh-kun, how lewd of you!"

Kagome took a step towards Anna, her hands balled into fists as she questioned, "A-Anna-san, is that supposed to be some sort of motivation for him or something?!"

Anna looked over her shoulder at Kagome and replied, "No, more like something to look forward to." She then turned back to the television and continued, "But that shouldn't bother you at all. Yoh is going to be my husband after all. And you are only a friend, right?"

The question silenced the room instantly.

Kagome's anger was eradicated as logic set back in.

Anna was right.

Yoh and Anna were engaged to be married for years now. The two were intended to be wed long before they even became friends. Who was she to be outraged at how intimate they were together?

Anna was right.

But still, Kagome found herself biting her lower lip as her eyes softened. Her anger was gone, but she was still unhappy. There was a new emotion that replaced the anger. It was an unpleasant emotion that rooted her feet and silenced her mouth.

All the while, the fist at her side shook without a sound.

"Anyway, Yoh," Anna broke the silence. "I'm hungry. Dinner. Make it," She commanded.

Yoh's jaw dropped to the ground, "What?! After all that training and fighting today?!" Yoh then turned to give Manta and Amidamaru his most pitiful look. They innocently avoided the gaze and whistled casually.

_'Don't give me that look, Yoh-kun...'_ Manta inwardly told his friend. It was difficult, but he had to resist falling into the trap that was Yoh's miserable gaze.

"Ka-go-me-ccchhaaannn!" Yoh sang in a pitiful tone as he outstretched his hand toward her pleadingly. Unfortunately, Kagome was not fast enough to look away and pretend not to see Yoh's puppy-dog eyes.

"But Yoh-kun—!" Kagome protested as she looked around the room, searching for inspiration for an excuse. But how could she think when he got on his instep and did a deep, traditional bow so that his forehead touched the floor? "I-I'm tired too and—!" she began again, but she could not stop the guilt.

Manta's look was sympathetic as he watched the priestess' resolve easily crumble. She truly was a sucker for Yoh's begging. But, it was better her than him. Manta knew that Kagome could not resist Yoh when he wrapped his arms and legs completely around her leg and rubbed his cheek against it, begging, pleading, and imploring her to bail him out of this one...

The priestess blushed and pouted. She closed her eyes and looked away to hide her embarrassment. "Fine!" she huffed while crossing her arms. "Just stop begging already!"

Yoh quickly recovered. He sat upright and wiped his eyes. "Saved." He whispered. "I owe you one, Kagome-chan," he grinned widely before plopping down on his back lazily.

"I know," she replied with a tender smile. Even though she was tired herself; Kagome could not help but smile upon seeing Yoh relax and wind down.

"Hmph, get to it then, dobe," Anna said sharply.

And the moment was ruined.

That routine continued for the next few days. The cycle of training slowly but surely consumed the remainder of their summer break. Wake up. Run fifty kilometers. Come home and exercise or spar with Yoh. Cook dinner. Bathe. Prepare food for the next day. Go to sleep only to wake up and restart it all again. There were times that Manta and Yoh prepared the meals.

But this particular Friday afternoon was a bit different from the ones before. When Kagome and Yoh met up with Manta in the park this day, Manta had paused in mid-stride to gawk admiringly at a movie poster. "Yoh-kun! Kagome-chan!" He said, halting the two in their run, "Come look at this!"

The two complied and came to stare at the movie poster with their starry-eyed friend. On the cover of a poster were multiple shots of a well-built man in a variety of kung-fu fighting poses and with different sorts of weapons. "Li... Bailong...? Wasn't he famous... seventeen years ago...?" Kagome slowly asked, trying to recall who the actor on the poster was.

"Seventeen years?" Yoh inquired. "That was before we were even born!"

"Mmhm!" Manta nodded excitedly, "the legend of Li Bailong still lives on historically today and it always will! Li Bailong is not only a great actor, but he actually _is_ as strong as the movies portrayed him! You two should definitely see this movie! All three of us can watch it together!"

"But Anna hangs on to all of the money, and she'll never give me money to see a movie..." Yoh stated, already defeated and bummed out. "She'll see it as an unnecessary expense."

"It does sound like fun though," Kagome stated. "If you want, I still have plenty of allowance leftover to pay your way in," she offered with a smile.

They continued their running course, and along the way, Manta told them all about Li Bailong non-stop. He emphasized some points by trying to demonstrate some of the greatest moves used by the kung-fu master. "And so, what do you think of him? Wouldn't it be helpful in Shaman Fights if you guys were to watch the movie and pick up some techniques?" Manta asked hopefully. He had spent the entire time telling his best friends of the amazing career of Li Bailong, his idol, and he hoped to convince them to see the movie with him.

"Shaman Fights are completely different from martial arts though," Yoh pointed out while continuing to concentrate on running at Kagome's pace.

"I guess so..." was Manta's disappointed reply.

Kagome abruptly stopped and said, "Guys, let's stop here for a sec." She stooped over and panted for air. Her throat was dry and burning. It became even drier the more that she inhaled. The muscles in her arms and legs pounded and pulsed. "So anyway..." The girl urged between pants. "Continue, Manta-kun."

Yoh looked down at Manta and asked," Manta, why do you want us to see that movie so badly?"

"..." Manta looked to the ground and bit his lip. "Because..." he began, "because you two are my best friends, and I want you guys to know... about the things that I like."

"I see..." Yoh said with a smile, as he just built a resolve. "I guess asking Anna for some money won't hurt."

"Oh, I doubt that~" Kagome chimed teasingly.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

Kagome sweatdropped.

So this was the brilliant plan they came up with?

While Yoh and Kagome sat around the table eating lunch, Anna was munching on rice crackers again and watching TV again. Amidamaru and Sesshomaru were sitting near their respective partners, while Manta talked about the greatness of Li Bailong some more. It was half Yoh's plan, half Manta's plan. They hoped that if Anna overhead Manta's tales of Li Bailong, she would be amazed by Li Bailong's greatness and give Yoh money to see the movie.

Kagome sighed as she placed some rice into her mouth. She had expected a bit more from Manta, as he was usually the logical one. But… Manta fanboying and gushing over someone who he idolized was a side of her friend that she did not mind seeing. It was sweet, and endearing.

"And after traveling across the world, learning all the different types of martial arts. Li Bailong created his own Kung Fu called Daodan Do, but it's just called Daodan in China! It's said to be the most powerful martial art in the world. Even more amazing, it is that it's said to be as destructive as missiles!" Manta stated with a confident expression and an extended pointer finger.

"No," Anna said straightforwardly without even looking away from the television. "I won't give you any money to see movies."

"Whhaaaattt?!" Manta and Yoh whined. Kagome was not surprised so she continued eating in silence.

"Got a problem with that?" Anna's voice lowered and became sharper.

"A-Anyway..." Manta continued shakily. "Daodan's purpose was not to become a weapon to defeat enemies. Li Bailong created it to understand himself through martial arts, and to find the greatest things in the world..."

"And what exactly is that supposed to be?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

Before Manta had the chance to respond, Anna asked, "Why are you even humoring him, dobe? It's simple. Because he's weak, he unconsciously admires the strong. And such admiration is stronger the more farfetched the strength is."

Amidamaru then spoke up, "I disagree, Anna-dono. Manta-dono admires strength not because he is weak, but because he is a man."

Kagome patted Manta's shoulder comfortingly when he suddenly sat glumly in the corner of the room. "I guess it is far fetched..." Manta muttered.

"You shouldn't get so depressed over words like that. If you do, you'll never be able to keep up with anyone," Yoh offered calmly.

"Yeah, cheer up, Manta-kun," Kagome added with a sweet smile. "I think having someone who you admire is healthy."

"But still..." Manta said. "Anna-san is somewhat correct… The story _is_ pretty farfetched. Before he could complete Daodan, Li Bailong suddenly mysteriously died... And his body even disappeared during the funeral. It remains a mystery even now." Manta explained, completely forgetting about his depression and Anna's words. "Maybe it's all just a sham..."

"A dead body...disappeared?" Anna inquired. Kagome blinked, absently wondering why Anna's interest would suddenly become peaked by that prospect.

"Looks like you've changed your mind," The priestess stated while looking at Anna.

"I'll go too," the blond girl added as she stood up.

"EEEhhhh?!" Kagome and Manta chorused, unable to hide their disappointment.

Yoh smiled upon finishing his lunch. He sat down his empty bowl and said cheerfully,"Alright, then we'll all go together!"

During the trip to the theater, Anna brought up the rear of the group, opting to travel with the spirits. Thus, Manta was able to continue his excited chatter about Li Bailong to his friends. Kagome and Yoh only got a few words in, but they did not mind.

**S.H.A.M.A.N.K.I.N.G.**

By the time they exited the movie theater, night had fallen long ago. Yoh stretched while grinning like a fool and proclaimed excitedly," Wow! That Li Bailong really is amazing!"

Manta immediately got pumped up too and balled up his fists, "He is, isn't he?! Charging into the criminal bases and taking down all the bad guys by himself! He's just so cool!"

Kagome sweatdropped and clapped embarrassedly when her friends reenacted their favorite scene from the movie in perfect unison. "Don't make me laugh!" Yoh and Manta said coolly with crossed arms. "Taste my fury!" they suddenly yelled when performing different moves and martial arts stances from the feature.

"What idiots," Anna mumbled while looking away and pretending not to see them.

"I'm with you on this one," Kagome nodded in agreement.

"I've found a new level of respect for you," Anna replied as she watched the boys unimpressed.

Despite herself, Kagome ended up in a fit of giggles at their performance. Manta delivered a flying kick to Yoh and sent him crashing to the ground dramatically. The brunette grunted as a shaky hand reached into an invisible jacket. He aimed a fingergun at Manta, only for the blond boy to kick it out of his hands. "Y-You guys...are such dorks…!" The priestess snorted out between her laughter.

"Easy come, easy go," Anna stated in a deadpanned voice.

Amidamaru piped in with his opinion, "I've never seen a movie before, but I must admit that I was truly touched by Li Bailong's strength and bravery. He truly was a great warrior."

The samurai then turned to Sesshomaru, looking for the demon lord's opinion. "Humans will always be less than impressive," the demon stated bluntly.

The samurai spirit scratched the back of his head and inquired with an embarrassed laugh," Really...? I thought he was great." Sesshomaru did not even dignify Amidamaru's opinion with another response, which deflated the samurai spirit. He sighed aloud and his shoulders slumped greatly while bowing his head... Somehow, he felt a lot less cool when Sesshomaru was around... and he wanted to look cool and mature in front of Yoh but—.

Kagome smiled and patted the samurai on the back, "Oh, don't worry about that guy! Sesshomaru's superiority complex is on demonic levels. Don't think you have to act like him."

Yoh nodded as they began walking home, "Yeah! You're already a thousand times cooler than Li Bailong!" He reassured his partner.

"Do you really think so, Yoh-dono?!" Amidamaru sobbed out his tears of joy.

"Of cour—! Oof!" Yoh's head had only turned for a split-second when he ended up walking into something hard.

Everyone was surprised to see more men like the ones from before assembling in front of them.

"Those are—!" Kagome gasped.

"Kyonshi..." Anna finished.

"I see, they're moving corpse puppets!" Manta exclaimed while unconsciously taking a step back. This time there were about fifteen of the corpse dolls. Each one had steel claws attached to their hands.

Instantly Yoh put on his serious face and stated," You guys stay out of the way..."

"There's too many of them!" Manta retorted worriedly.

Kagome then turned to Sesshomaru as Yoh picked up a short metal pole and merged with Amidamaru. She latched onto her partner's long kimono sleeve and looked up at him with determined and hopeful eyes. "Sesshomaru, let's do it!"

"Pardon?"

"I've trained hard to become stronger for a while now! And we haven't tried merging since that incident with Tao Ren!" Kagome stated. "Shouldn't we start trying it again?!"

"You're still too weak," Sesshomaru stated. It was not the words, but how easily they came from his mouth that cut Kagome deep. Her fingers relinquished their grip on his sleeve. She watched Yoh and Amidamaru make quick work of the group.

The fight was over within a matter of seconds. A heap of corpses surrounded the boy's sandaled feet.

Yoh grinned cheerfully as he walked back up to Kagome, Manta, and Anna. "I think I'm actually getting better at this," he stated.

Amidamaru appeared and agreed, "Definitely, I feel even stronger and merging with you is much more comfortable and—Eh-?!"

Yoh, Manta, and Amidamaru grimaced at the defeated, gloomy aura that Kagome emitted. She raised a hand, "No, please… Continue rubbing it in my face…"

Their conversation was interrupted again. This time, it was light applause that came from a young woman that was standing not far from them, just out of the reach of the light of the streetlamp. "You easily defeated so many Kyonshi all by yourself. I must say that I greatly underestimated you. I apologize for that, but your performance was great, Asakura Yoh-kun~"

"Huh?!" Yoh's jaw dropped as he looked confusedly at the stranger who addressed him by his first name with an endearing honorific at the end. He then raised his hands defensively, silently protesting innocence when both Anna and Kagome looked from the young woman back at Yoh suspiciously.

"And just who is she, Yoh- _kun_?" Kagome asked, emphasizing the -kun with a dangerous undertone.

"T-That's what I'd like to know," Yoh replied with a nervous grin.

"Identify yourself," Anna demanded coolly. Manta looked between Kagome and Anna and the mysterious stranger that suddenly stepped into the light. She was a beautiful young woman that was obviously a few years older than them. Her black cheongsam displayed her ample curves. She had deep blue eyes and green hair that was pinned up in the back.

"My name is..." the young woman stated calmly. "Tao Jun. I'm Ren's big sister."

Anna inquired straightforwardly with a hand on her hip, "Are you also a shaman?"

Jun smirked at them and responded proudly,"Indeed, I am. I am a Dàoshì."

"Ah, I see," Manta stated while opening up his encyclopedia. "Dàoshìi, a type of shaman that can control kyonshi with mere commands. With words written on charms, it's possible to control kyonshi with multiple commands."

Jun replied, "That is correct." She then looked directly at Yoh and announced, "I came here to ask a favor of you, Yoh-kun~"

Kagome bristled at the sultry voice that Jun used. _'T-This woman is…!'_

"For my dear little brother, Ren," Jun continued while maintaining eye contact with Yoh. "May I please have your samurai: Amidamaru?" she asked, her voice slow and saccharine.

"Eh heh…" Yoh smiled sheepishly while scratching his cheek. "Even if you ask nicely like that…"

"Of course not!" Kagome piped in. "Yoh-kun would never give up his partner like that!"

Jun glared at Kagome and scoffed, "And I presume you are the one Higurashi Kagome-chan?"

Kagome almost fell over when she heard Jun address her in such a familiar manner so freely. "Tao Jun-san!" Kagome shrieked. "At least have some respect and address me as Higurashi-chan!" she blurted out. "And Yoh-kun is Asakura-kun to you!" She added while driving a finger into Yoh's cheek.

The priestess' face was lightly flushed as she glowered at the older girl. "Oh ho~?" Jun looked amused before her blue eyes traveled up and down Kagome's body, making the younger girl cross her arms over her chest and shrink away defensively.

"Just what are you looking at?!" Kagome shrieked, feeling mortified at being openly examined.

Jun chuckled behind a hand, "You must forgive me. I was just admiring your beauty. You're quite the charming young lady, you know."

Kagome was disarmed at the statement. She untensed as she brought a finger to her lips, "Oh...well, if she has such good tastes then she can't be an enemy…"

"How easily you're swayed," Manta muttered in a deadpanned tone.

"I'm glad that you think so~" Jun smiled. "I think Tao Kagome is a lovely name, do you agree?"

"Huh…?" Yoh shot the Dàoshì an incredulous look. He then looked at Kagome, who looked completely mortified once again.

"Oh _God_!" Kagome placed her hands on her cheeks as she trembled. "Y-Yoh-kun, she's going to kidnap me into her family…! And probably use me for slave labor!"

"Yeaaaah…" Yoh sweatdropped. "I'm sure that's the plan…"

"What an imagination~" Jun smirked before suddenly peeling back one of the long slits in her dress, revealing her long, shapely legs and a garter belt.

Manta flushed while slapping his hands over his eyes. "H-How lewd!" He squeaked.

"Yoh-kun, I suggest you just hand the samurai over quietly," Jun warned calmly, but her voice became noticeably harsher and more commanding. The Dàoshì grabbed three talismans in each of her hands and called out," Come forth my warrior, Li Bailong!"

At Jun's command, the earth behind them suddenly slit open with a burst of golden light. A massive, barbarian-sized kyonshi leaped from the divide and landed behind Jun obediently. This man towered well above his master, making her appear like a mole against a mountain.

"It couldn't be..." Yoh stated with wide eyes.

"It _is_..." Manta said when the talisman fell off the kyonshi's face, revealing the familiar and emotionless face of his hero. "It's Li Bailong's kyonshi..."

"That's right. Li Bailong is my primary spirit," Jun declared proudly. "And after the movie, you should be well aware of his strength. He's the strongest of the Tao family's possessions: the ultimate corpse weapon..." she explained.

Those words struck a chord within Manta.

He stood there frozen and almost broken,"L-Li Bailong...a p-possession...? A weapon?!"

"So...before I command my Li Bailong to attack," Jun addressed Yoh. "This is your last chance to hand over your samurai spirit peacefully."

"No," Yoh said sternly. "You don't want that, do you, Amidamaru?" he asked his spirit.

"Of course not," Amidamaru replied without hesitation.

"So, you intend to stand in Ren's way until the end?" Jun asked.

"That's not it," Yoh said once again. "But Amidamaru is my friend, that's why I refuse to ever trade him off like an item."

"Friend..." Jun whispered. She stifled a laugh, "What a foolish idea."

Kagome gasped; both Jun and Ren had been surprised by Yoh's declaration of Amidamaru being his friend... And they both ridiculed the thought of shamans and spirits being equal partners. _'What's with this family?'_ she wondered to herself.

"Well, it seems that I'll have to kill you then!" Jun declared as she threw a new talisman onto Li Bailong's face, "Combat seal, equip!" Kagome gasped when Li Bailong suddenly got into a fighting stance. "Li Bailong, teach that kid a lesson!"

With that command, the kyonshi instantly sprung into action, and Yoh and Amidamaru charged him head-on. Li Bailong's nunchucks thwarted the shaman and sent Yoh skittering back.

"Since Dàoshì controls the spirit's actual body, they can always maintain Hyoi 100%," Anna said.

"Which means this kyonshi's power is equivalent to the living Li Bailong's," Kagome concluded.

Yoh was not deterred. He charged at the kyonshi without hesitation, but Li Bailong used the chain of his nunchucks to ensnare Yoh, the chain wrapped firmly around the pole in his hands "Yoh-kun!" Manta cried out when Li Bailong open fist punched Yoh in the gut and made him cough up blood.

It took the martial artists merely seconds to pummel the shaman till his body went limp.

Jun calmly walked over to Li Bailong, who had Yoh haunched over on his massive fist and said," Resistance is futile. You can not defeat me, so..." she leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Hand over that samurai spirit."

This scene was a familiar one.

The priestess' small hand flying through the air, creating a sharp slap against skin.

Jun held a burning, red cheek.

Kagome glared up at the Tao, her blue-gray orbs were narrowed with anger. "...That's quite enough..." she whispered harshly. "Don't you dare try to harm him any further!"

Manta stared at the scene that seemed like a replay of Yoh's first fight with Ren. _'K-Kagome-chan...keeps losing her cool...'_ he thought; his body was trembling from amazement and fear at the same time.

"Why don't you people understand that spirits are not just tools for shamans to use and give and take so easily?!" Kagome shouted, making Jun narrow her eyes in return. "How many of you will come here trying to spread your garbage notions?!" She looked directly into Jun's shocked eyes as she continued raving. "You and your brother—you're both sick! I know for a fact that spirits are a shaman's allies, their _friends_! If you were to die, and someone suddenly began to treat you the way you treat spirits, you wouldn't be happy, would you?! Are you saying that once a person dies, they're no longer human?! That's ludicrous!" Kagome's tirade ended with her panting heavily from the adrenaline rushing through her.

Manta nodded, his fists balling up as he added, "Kagome-chan and Yoh-kun are right! Li Bailong was my idol, my hero! And yet you treat him so poorly, like he's an object! But even in death, Li Bailong is Li Bailong! So he definitely deserves better!" He shook his head, tears flying out. "He deserves respect, even if he's doing terrible things!"

Anna then stepped in front of Manta and explained, "Li Bailong is not the one at fault here. Although that is his body, he is still but a kyonshi. His actions are being controlled by her. The only bad person here is that woman over there."

"Hmph," Jun smirked and countered,"A shaman is someone who controls spirits. The spirit's will is meaningless. In the Tao family, to become great shamans, we receive our primary spirits when we are children. Ever since I was born seventeen years ago, Li Bailong has been under my command. He was the best present that my father has ever given me."

"No way..." Manta whispered while dropping to his knees in despair. "The Li Bailong that I've always admired... was killed...just to be used as an object?"

"All of you children are foolish and misguided. It's stupid to cry for kyonshi," Jun said coldly as she finally removed her hand from her cheek. She looked from Manta down at Kagome, "Kyonshi do not recognize feelings because they have no feelings. I'll have to teach you that lesson today."

"T-that's not true!" Yoh suddenly protested as he struggled to call out in his winded state. He staggered backward, away from the grip of Li Bailong. "Spirits aren't things... There are no spirits without feelings because they _are_ feelings." Kagome was quickly at his side. She placed her hands on Yoh's back to steady him before he could fall over.

"Yoh-kun, you shouldn't move around yet," Kagome stated worriedly.

Yoh offered Kagome a pained smile and told her," I'm pretty tough you know. Besides, I can't stay down. I remember what happened the last time you slapped a member of the Tao family..." he stifled a laugh.

"This is different," Kagome shot back. "I'm a lot stronger now."

"I have no doubt about that," Yoh replied with a smile. "But this fight... belongs to Amidamaru and me." With that said, Yoh finally stood up tall and drew the pole that he used as a sword once again.

"Impossible!" Jun gasped in shock, "No one should be able to stand after receiving an attack by my Bailong!"

Yoh smirked and replied," Amidamaru and I...we can't be taken down by weak attacks executed with hesitation.

Jun narrowed her eyes in frustration, "What hesitation?!"

"No matter how much you claim that you can control a spirit's body," Yoh said. "You can never control their hearts or feelings!"

"Yoh-kun, look at that!" Kagome's voice was almost breathless.

Everyone saw it.

A single tear flowed from Bailong's eyes. It silently ran down his cold, pale face. "Li Bailong... he's crying..." she whispered as her face became crestfallen.

She felt that feeling again... The same feeling when she empathized with Rin's spirit back in the forest with Sesshomaru. Somehow, Kagome could feel her soul reach out and connect with Bailong's... She could feel all of his anguish. Bailong's inner turmoil was almost overwhelming sad.

"Tao Jun..." Kagome whispered. "You truly are ignorant..."

"What?!" Jun snapped while glaring at the priestess.

"You're causing Bailong so much pain and sorrow," Kagome whispered. "So much regret."

"Li Bailong!" Yoh yelled at the crying kyonshi. "Just wait, I'll destroy that talisman and set your soul free!"

"Let's see you try!" Jun retorted. "Bailong, be his escort to the underworld!" she commanded.

...The kyonshi did not budge.

"BAILONG!" Jun shouted, stomping her foot in frustration. The kyonshi slowly drew his weapon and then charged at Yoh once again with tears in his eyes. Yoh tried to stave off the attack, only to be thrust back again. Bailong then dealt a barrage of punches and kicks directly to Yoh's body.

"Anna-san, lend Yoh-kun some help!" Manta said, looking up at Anna, who only remained a spectator.

"I have no intention of helping Yoh," Anna replied. "This is just another trial he has to overcome to become Shaman King. I refuse to marry a man who cannot pass something like this."

"What kind of fiancée are you?!" Manta countered.

"We women are realists," Anna replied simply. She spotted Kagome moving from the corner of her eye and added, "Except that one."

Kagome latched onto Sesshomaru's sleeve once more and pleaded, "Sesshomaru, come on! Yoh-kun needs a hand here! If we lose, I promise to never ask again until you think I'm ready! So please!" Sesshomaru did not even bother looking at her or responding to his partner's plea.

Anna replied for him, "It's futile, dobe. Sesshomaru and I have an on-going agreement. One of the conditions being that you two will not interfere with any of Yoh's fights..."

"So that's why?!" Kagome asked Sesshomaru, not holding back her anger in her voice. "Well, forget it! I'll do it on my own!"

Manta looked up at Kagome and asked, "What do you mean?!"

Kagome closed her eyes and held out her hand in front of her as if to grab something that was invisible. "I ask for your assistance," she whispered to herself. Manta's eyes widened when a familiar golden orb of light appeared in front of the priestess. The orb elongated and curved into another shape. Seconds later, the light faded into the form of the golden, crescent bow. Kagome took hold of it.

"I may be a failure as a shaman," Kagome said as she materialized an arrow of pure, blue light in her other hand and took aim at Bailong. "But let's try my luck as a priestess..." she finished.


End file.
